Suitabook

Maude March on the run!, or, Trouble is her middle name

Audrey Couloumbis

Reading: If bereavement or gun violence may be difficult, preview the opening together and agree on a pause point. Afterwards, ask what the sisters’ choices reveal about their situation.
Themes: Sisterly resourcefulness: The sisters gather food, clothing, books, a Bible, a quilt patch, a rifle, a compass and cooking supplies before leaving. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
Repeated loss and displacement: The sisters have lost their parents, then lose their aunt and are moved between possible households before leaving town. The situation clearly centres on loss and instability, but the emotional treatment and eventual sense of belonging remain unclear.
Adventure after upheaval: After returning to their foreclosed home for supplies, the sisters set out, with further adventures and their destination left open. The premise promises movement and uncertainty, but it is not possible to tell whether risks are presented as exciting, troubling or both.
Worth knowing: Be ready to discuss the aunt’s death in a gunfight and the sisters becoming orphaned again. Their removal from home is also part of the premise.