Mercury by Hope Larson

Mercury is a graphic novel set in Nova Scotia during the present and simultaneously set in 1859 on the same land. We follow two families both going through their own individual difficulties. In both stories, we have a young female lead. In 1859, there is Josey Fraser, a young girl who has fallen in love with a new stranger in town who has found gold on her property. Her father is eager to go into business with the man while her mother is wary of him and holds a much more stern outlook. Flash forward 150 years and there is another Fraser on the same property. Only not exactly because the farm has burnt down :( So now she's living with her cousin while her mother works a job miles away. This is Tara Fraser, a slightly punky girl who's mistakenly identified as a boy during her first day at school...a boy that she soon develops a crush for. This is my first experience with Hope Larson and now I get why people speak so highly of her. Her stories are fantastic! At least this one is. I loved her characters so much and she tells two stories here simultaneously that expertly mimic each other and feed off of one another. The world may change and generations may forget those that came before, but life remains the same....or sometimes, we do have the ability to change what has happened before. Larson taught me so much in this book too! I learned a lot about Nova Scotia here! There were little facts thrown in here and there...I now know what a looney is for example (it's a coin worth 1 Canadian dollar because it has a picture of a Loon on it!). And while she's teaching you history, she relates it all to you with characters that are so identifiable. Just wonderful characters. And the art is just fantastic!! Seriously, I loved her art. Each page was a treat for the eyes and she surely put a lot of love and work into this book which shows on each page. I'll certainly have my eye out for more Larson books!