The Gate In The Wall

Horn Book Magazine

At book's start, ten-year-old Emma Deane is a classic Victorian child heroine-an orphan caught in a relentless cycle of sickness, poverty, and labor. But Emma and the reader come to learn about another possibility-the hard but independent life of the canal boat folk. Emma does not have much to call home. She works long days in a stifling mill to support her older sister, an abusive, alcoholic brother-in-law, and their baby. One morning she is late to work and finds herself locked out. Knowing that her pay will be docked and she will probably be beaten, Emma sneaks through an open doorway, steals a potato from a canal boat, and is pressed into service by an exacting boatwoman. Mrs. Minshull is brusque and demanding but feeds her well and even has boots custom-made for her. Emma, as huffler, walks alongside the beautiful boat, learns to maneuver the locks, and cares for the aged, gentle horse Rosie. The new situation is ideal for both Mrs. Minshull and Emma: Mrs. Minshull, recently widowed, needs help if she is to continue working her boat; Emma needs to grow strong and capable and find her own way. Indeed, Emma, we are assured, is going to live a much better life than the one she left. Author Ellen Howard has created a cast of characters who are fully dimensional and engaging. She has given her story a highly interesting venue, and writes in the dialect of nineteenth-century English working-class people-even employing the particular vocabulary of the canal boat folk-adding tremendous color and richness to the story.

Children's Literature - Alexandria LaFaye

Orphan Emma lives with her older sister, her abusive brother-in-law and their infant in the only room of their house that hasn't been rented. Shutout for being late to her job at the local mill, she enters the world of canal commerce. Through an odd set of circumstances, she ends up working for an elderly woman who transports cargo along the British canal system in her narrow boat. Showing a world many readers may be unfamiliar with, this book explores the rocky, but ultimately nurturing relationship between a young girl and an elderly woman who are both looking for a supportive family life. Some of the events in the story are far-fetched, but the characters and the cultural setting are engaging.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Howard returns with another successful historical tale featuring a resourceful young girl. Emma Deane is but 10-years-old and already working in a mill to support her sister, her sister's brutish husband, and their child. One day she happens upon a gate by the riverside and enters the world of the canal folk, people who moved cargo up and down the complex system of canals in 19th-century England. She is pressured into service for a Mrs. Minshull after taking one of the woman's potatoes to assuage her hunger. After helping the elderly boatwoman all the way to Manchester, Emma's self-esteem begins to grow. She meets various characters along the way and discovers an incipient talent: painting. Although Mrs. Minshull is gruff, she treats Emma with a concern that the young girl hasn't felt since her parents died. Feeling guilty, however, for abandoning her sister and the baby, she determines that she must return to them. Once there, Emma discovers where she truly belongs. Howard's attention to detail is not spared, and she provides a dialect true to the time period and culture. Although a glossary helps, some words may be somewhat daunting to younger readers. The overall effect, though, brings this story to life. Children will appreciate Emma's adventures as she makes her way up and down the canal, realizing her gifts and finding a home for herself.-Carol Fazioli, The Brearley School, New York City, NY

Kirkus Reviews

Locked out of the silk factory for being but a moment late, an orphan passes through an unexpectedly open gate to a better life in this engrossing tale of expanding horizons from Howard (A Different Kind of Courage, 1996, etc.).