Evangeline's Journey

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie" vividly tells the story of an Acadian girl as she searches for her lost love Gabriel amid the expulsion of the Acadians from maritime Canada and Maine.

Now, acclaimed novelist Cathie Pelletier, descended from Acadians herself, adapts the story and retells it in novel form for middle readers. The prose retelling makes the story more accessible, and teachable, for younger readers.

At a time when immigration and migration are at the forefront of news cycles, the historic displacement of the Acadians deserves a deeper look.

Born and raised in remote Allagash, Maine, Cathie Pelletier is the author of ten novels, including The Funeral Makers, The Weight of Winter, Beaming Sonny Home, and The One-Way Bridge. Under the pseudonym of K. C. McKinnon she wrote two novels, Dancing at the Harvest Moon and Candles on Bay Street. The first McKinnon novel was translated into 19 languages and was a CBS TV film starring Jacqueline Bisset, Valerie Harper, and Eric Mabius. The second was translated into 10 languages and was a Hallmark Hall of Fame film starring Alicia Silverstone.

Two of Cathie's novels received notable mentions from the New York Times Book Review. Her third novel, The Weight of Winter, won the New England Booksellers Award, and Running the Bulls won the 2006 Paterson Prize for Fiction. She was also presented with the Bernie Schweid Award from Tennessee Booksellers. In addition to her books, Cathie has had songs recorded by David Byrne, the Texas Tornadoes, the Glaser Brothers, and others. She lives in Allagash, Maine, in the house in which she was born.