Overview of Tin Angel
Ronalda Page has lead an idyllic life, growing up surrounded by nature at her family's mountain lodge, the Raven's. When her father is killed in an accident, Ronnie's mother is forced to sell the lodge to Louis Moss, a friend of the family, who Ronnie comes to blame when her world falls apart. One tragic night, the lodge burns to the ground with Moss inside, and Ronnie is the only suspect. The dramatic court case unfolds, with some portraying Ronnie as a monster who killed her family's care-taker, and others seeing her as a minor whose rights were violated by detectives. Ronnie herself is unsure of her complete guilt or innocence, in this riveting novel in which everyone has something to hide.Synopsis of Tin Angel
Everything that came after my arrest is well recorded by the local papers. Shelter Bay was a small town, with clean streets and impeccable sanitation. Salmon still ran in nearby rivers, and the smells of cut wood and paper pulp were akin to economic holiness. The price of gasoline may have been on the rise, but people didn't drive very far to get where they were going. As a rule, children did not commit serious crimes. Then I came along and changed all that."...... Ronnie Page loves her life at Raven's, an idyllic mountain lodge that her family has owned for generations. She can't imagine being happier as she hikes with her father, studies the alpine flora, and reads by the fire. But sudden tragedy destroys her bliss. The family must sell Raven's to Louis Moss - a family friend Ronnie comes to blame for turning her perfect existence upside down - and move to Shelter Bay. When a chance meeting with Louis at the abandoned Raven's ends in disaster, Ronnie stands accused of murder. Will anyone ever really know what happened that night at the lodge? Ronnie herself is uncertain of her absolute guilt or innocence, but one thing is clear: everyone has something to hide in this bittersweet tale.
Children's Literature
Ronnie Page thought her life was perfect when she was growing up. She was happy and loved where she lived. She never dreamed that at the age of fourteen she would be accused of murder and go on trial for allegedly killing a man she barely knew. Ronnie is cleared of all charges, but people in Shelter Bay, the small town near where she grew up, are angry at Ronnie for putting a dark mark on their peaceful way of life. People know she was cleared by the court system, but in their hearts, she is guilty. Ronnie knows that her life will never be perfect again. Five years have pass, and she is still shunned. She decides to tell her story in her way, to clear her name and, most of all, her conscience. She has nothing to hide. She starts her story when she is thirteen, which seems like a lifetime ago, when everything and everyone in her life made sense, and she recounts all of the events leading up to her arrest for a murder she did not commit. She takes her time and shares information not in the court records. She has more than her own reputation to restore; she hopes to reunite her family as well. This is a bittersweet tale of love, loss, and the road to reconciliation. The story line seems so simple and basic, but has unexpected twists and turns that keep the reading guessing what will happen next. Reviewer: Laura J. Brown
Editorials
Quill and Quire
"Rich with imagery and raw with emotion...this is a must read. Starred Review."Vancouver Sun
"beautifully written and well paced...Cowan gives her readers characters to connect with, characters to mourn and characters to despise, all of the unforgettable."Booklist
"Set in the Vietnam years and alive with protests, violent activism, and the struggle for teenage rights within the court systems, this complex, multilayered novel will prompt comparisons and connections between the story's time period and today."Canadian Children's Book News
"A fascinating and well-conceived first foray into YA literature... readers will stay with it from the firt page to the last."CM Magazine
"Haunting imagery, challenging vocabulary, and subtle nuance...promis[e] a fulfilling reading experience, one created by an undeniably skilled writer."Montreal Review of Books
"[Cowan] evokes the isolation and beauty of the Coast Mountains, the rhythms of small-town like, and the events and mood of the late 1960s and early '70s to creat a rich story about a mysterious and violent incident and an unlikely criminal."Victoria Times Colonist
"All the elements that will appeal to young readersâit doesn't talk down to them and it allows the protagonist to solve her own problems."Resource Links
"Explores several very diverse topics including: the youth justice system, radical activist groups in the 1960s, and the brutality of high school life."Children's Literature -
Ronnie Page thought her life was perfect when she was growing up. She was happy and loved where she lived. She never dreamed that at the age of fourteen she would be accused of murder and go on trial for allegedly killing a man she barely knew. Ronnie is cleared of all charges, but people in Shelter Bay, the small town near where she grew up, are angry at Ronnie for putting a dark mark on their peaceful way of life. People know she was cleared by the court system, but in their hearts, she is guilty. Ronnie knows that her life will never be perfect again. Five years have pass, and she is still shunned. She decides to tell her story in her way, to clear her name and, most of all, her conscience. She has nothing to hide. She starts her story when she is thirteen, which seems like a lifetime ago, when everything and everyone in her life made sense, and she recounts all of the events leading up to her arrest for a murder she did not commit. She takes her time and shares information not in the court records. She has more than her own reputation to restore; she hopes to reunite her family as well. This is a bittersweet tale of love, loss, and the road to reconciliation. The story line seems so simple and basic, but has unexpected twists and turns that keep the reading guessing what will happen next. Reviewer: Laura J. BrownSchool Library Journal
Gr 8 Up- "I was fourteen years old when they arrested me for the murder of Louis Moss, a man I knew briefly as the man who wrecked my family." So begins this "did she?" or "didn't she?" novel that doubles as a coming-of-age story about Ronalda Page in 1969. Ronnie's simple existence is destroyed when her father dies and she's uprooted from her home by Louis, a family friend who steps in to help. Her mother becomes an alcoholic and her sister quickly distances herself from their small, desperate family. Neglected and lonely, Ronnie falls in love with a troubled older boy. At the same time her hatred toward her benefactor, caused in part by her suspicion that he is having an affair with her sister, continues a slow burn. When Louis is found dead in an apparent case of arson, all fingers point to Ronnie. Cowan's story line is intriguing, but the laborious pace and hollow, spiritless protagonist make this a tough read. Gail Giles's Right Behind You (Little, Brown, 2007) does a better job of getting into a teen's battered and self-destructive psyche.-Terri Clark, Smokey Hill Library, Centennial, CO
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Kirkus Reviews
At 14, Ronalda Page is arrested for the murder of Louis Moss, "the man who wrecked my family." Five years later, she pieces together the events that led to Louis's death and her subsequent arrest and trial, and questions her own guilt and innocence. Before Louis entered Ronnie's life in the summer of 1969, she led an idyllic childhood at Raven's Lodge, a once-renowned vacation spot on the coast of Vancouver Island, now suffering from neglect. After her father's fatal accident and Louis's purchase of the debt-ridden lodge, Ronnie, her mother and older sister, Marcia, must move to a shabby apartment in the pulp-mill town of Shelter Bay. While her mother turns to alcohol and Marcia begins a questionable relationship with Louis, Ronnie's only solace is Lee, a mysterious, young fugitive from the US. American readers, hooked by this finely woven, heart-wrenching, coming-of-age narration, will be undaunted by the concluding trial with references to Canada's juvenile-justice system. Instead, they will be treated to revealed secrets, Ronnie's redemption and a history of political activism that spread across borders. (timeline) (Fiction. YA)Receive unbeatable book deals in your favorite fiction or non-fiction genres. Our daily emails are packed with new and bestselling authors you will love!
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