The Major
1917
In a small Canadian village, spring arrives with all its unbearable green, and young Lawrence Gwynne sets off for school with the whole shimmering world calling his name. But Lawrence carries something heavier than his schoolbooks: the whisper that his mother's Quaker faith makes her a coward, a stain on the family name that the village hasn't forgotten. When a bully named Mop hurls that accusation across the village green, Lawrence finds himself standing at the crossroads between the man his neighbors expect him to be and the truth he must discover for himself. What follows is a boyhood adventure through woods and creeks, friendships tested and forged, and the slow, hard work of understanding what courage actually costs. Connor writes with muscular simplicity about the questions that burn in every child's heart: Am I enough? What do I owe to those who came before me? Can I be brave in a way that doesn't look like anyone else's bravery? This is an old-fashioned adventure that understands how deeply a wound like that can cut, and how long it takes to heal.
