Tom Thomson's Last Paddle by Larry McCloskey Date of Publication: 2002 ISBN: 0888784309 Number of Pages: 159

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Average Intermediate : Low/ Average
GENRES: Mystery
THEMES : Life versus Death - Coming of Age - Survival - Appearance versus Reality

SUMMARY:
Dani and Caitlin are two twelve-year-old girls who enjoy solving mysteries...especially a good murder mystery that includes someone as famous as Tom Thomson. Tom Thomson has been dead for over eighty years and the circumstances of his death on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park remain a mystery. Dani and Caitlin are not convinced that Thomson’s death was an accident, and when they encounter his ghost one early morning, they are even less convinced! The girls, who are on a camping trip with their fathers in Algonquin Park, join forces with a new friend to uncover the secrets behind the death of one of Canada’s greatest painters. Can they find the answers they need...and if they do, will Tom's ghost finally be at rest?

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- likes mysteries
- enjoys the outdoors and canoe tripping
- enjoys reading stories set in Canada
- is interested in the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson
- loves Algonquin Park

WHAT ELSE?
The story is set in beautiful northern Ontario cottage country where Thomson spent much of his time painting and enjoying nature. The two brave sleuths spend their summer holiday gathering relevant and historically accurate clues that will lead them to an elusive diary that will reveal the truth behind the famous painter’s death. In their travels the girls come across some very strange and colourful characters in the area. One such meeting is a midnight rendezvous with a local witch in the Madhill Church graveyard outside Huntsville.

In addition to the witch element, be aware that the story has two twelve-year-old girls spending the night alone in a graveyard, meeting and talking to a homeless man in Algonquin Park, and lying to their fathers about where and who they are with.

RELATED LINKS:
Thomson’s death was a real, historic event, and the mystery continues to this day.
For some background information, check out this old film clip that goes over some of the details of the mystery, found at http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-70-2310-13520-10/on_this_day/disasters_tragedies/twt .
You can also read about Thomson’s last paddle in the magazine excerpt found at www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/1999_6/feature2.htm .
Information about the Canadian author can be found at www.beachholme.bc.ca/ya/mccloskeybio.htm .