The Root Cellar
| Author | Janet Lunn |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's historical novel |
| Publisher | Lester and Orpen Dennys |
Publication date | 1981 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 247 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-919630-78-2 |
| OCLC | 8982625 |
| Followed by | Shadow in Hawthorn Bay |
The Root Cellar is a children's historical novel by Janet Lunn that is set in the 1980s, although much of the action takes place in the 1860s. It follows Rose Larkin, an orphan, who travels temporally back and forth between Ontario, Canada, of the 1980s and various settings of U.S. Civil War in the 1860s. This time travel is done through the root cellar of the title.
Plot
Twelve-year-old Rose Larkin is an orphan whose parents died when she was only three years old. Following their death, Rose lived with her grandmother. Immediately after the death of her grandmother, Rose is sent to live with relatives in Ontario, Canada. After being miserable about the way her cousins treat her, she finds refuge in a root cellar. There, she is transported back in time to the 1860s.
Rose meets Susan and Will, who lived on the farm at that time. Susan works for Will's family, but is very close to Will. Susan is a sweet girl, and Will is charming. Rose soon discovers that every time she goes back to the past, Will and Susan have aged more rapidly than she has. Eventually, Rose goes back and learns that Will has run off to join the Union Army. Susan begs Rose to help her find Will, who is missing in action, and eventually Rose agrees. The girls travel from Ontario to Washington, D.C. to find him. While on their adventure, Rose also has to deal with the destruction of the root cellar by a storm in the 1980s, which keeps her from returning to her present-day home.
Setting
The novel takes place in two major locations. It starts on a farm located in Ontario, Canada in 80s. After Rose enters the root cellar, she ends up in Canada during the 1860s. Rose and Susan soon travel to Washington D.C to find Susan’s brother, Will.
Characters
Rose Larkin is a twelve year old orphan who bounces from relative to relative after the death of her grandmother. She ends up living with her aunt and uncle, along with assorted cousins, near Lake Ontario in Canada. Rose has a hard time fitting in with her cousins, and hides in the root cellar for solace. She finally makes friends in the United States during the Civil War.
Susan Morrisay (formerly Anderson) is a hired girl who lives in Canada during the 1860s and works on the Morrisay's farm. She meets Rose after Rose travels to the past through the root cellar. The two girls become close after Rose’s repeated visits. While Rose ages relative to the present, Susan ages more and more after every visit. After Will joins the army and goes MIA, Susan asks Rose to help her find him.
Will Morrisay joins the Union army during the American Civil War. After he goes MIA, Rose and Susan must travel across the states to find him.
Reception
It won the 1982 Canada Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award.[1] In 1988 the book won the California Young Reader Medal[2] The book was well received by readers, earning 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon [3] and 3.91 out of 5 stars on Goodreads [4]