For years, Canadian educators have struggled to interest young people in Canadian history. The Dear Canada series has mastered the trick, and proves it again with its 23rd volume. Blood Upon Our Land tackles the 1885 North West Resistance movement led by Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont. At issue to the Métis of Saskatchewan were national policies threatening loss of lands and rights, and a Canadian government that was slow-moving and unresponsive to Métis advocates and representations.

Maxine Trottier, a prolific writer with Métis roots (and the author of two previous Dear Canada titles), deftly works the diary format to tell the story of 12-year-old Josephine Bouvier. Literate, likeable Josephine dreams of becoming a teacher, but, due to her mother’s death, must care for her loving Métis family. A proud and practical mother hen, Josephine’s also a fun-loving, warm-hearted girl. Her family’s neighbours include Riel, Dumont, and their families.

Through Josephine’s diary, which spans 11 months, readers experience the lead-up to the federal forces’ invasion of Métis land, a series of clashes concluding with the Battle of Batoche, where the Métis were defeated, and the subsequent resistance. Punctuated by glossary-supported Michif (a Métis language), Cree, and French vocabulary, the book provides a colourful introduction to Métis history, values, and society circa 1885. For readers curious about Josephine’s post-Resistance life, Trottier provides an informative epilogue. And in keeping with the series, Blood Upon Our Land supplements its fictional diary with maps, factual notes, and archival photographs and illustrations.