A Forest of Gold 
Scholastic Canada Ltd | ISBN 9781443100465 Paperback
176 Pages | 5" x 7.75" | Ages 9 to 12
It is the 1920s, and twelve-year-old Emily Pattersen lives in a logging community in northern Ontario - a place where lumber is king and the forests make many men rich. She, of course, has more important things to concern herself with: run-ins with know-it-all Tilly at school, dealing with her frustrating brothers, and trying not to roll her eyes at her very serious mother's penchant for assigning Duties.
A new set of worries comes to her when, against their parents' wishes, her hot-headed brother Joe sneaks off to work at a lumber camp. Emily is the only one who knows where he's gone. Scared and anxious, she gets the post every day to intercept Joe's letters, with word about his safety. Life has suddenly become complicated, as Emily struggles to remain an obedient daughter, while protecting her brother's secret.
Debut novelist Courtney Maika is as inspiring as the feisty young heroine she has created. She wrote A Forest of Gold while in grade twelve. A keen reader of the the Dear Canada series, she says: "...they really inspired me, so at one point, when I was sixteen, I thought 'Why wait? I think I'm capable of writing a book now.'" Readers will be glad she did.
Raves & reviews:
Praise for A Forest of Gold:
"Emily Pattersen is funny, observant, warmhearted without being gushy, and thoroughly real." - Jean Little
"Courtney Maika was just 17 when she wrote A Forest of Gold, but the talented young author has created a winning character in Emily Pattersen...her voice is charming enough that one is compelled to keep reading, just to hear what she has to say...A Forest of Gold is filled with compelling characters, and would make a fine springboard for a series." -Quill & Quire
"With palpable details, Maika takes readers back to [1927]...With equal realism and wit, Maika brings an entire family and a town to life. Readers get a clear sense there are stories within stories in the Pattersen family, in Mattawa, and in this era, and the stories could go on forever, just as history does...A Forest of Gold is a delightful and fast-paced read." -Canadian Review of Materials