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French Titles
In the first volume entitled Mortels Noëls, the reputation of Vipérine Maltais, the extremely clever student, spreads well beyond her boarding school following an attempt on the life of a nun. In L'affaire du collège indien, Father Cloridan calls upon the investigative talents of Vipérine Maltais to shed light on a mysterious fire in a boys' school located on the edge of a forest near the village of Saint-Elme. As part of her investigation, the young Vipérine interrogates witnesses, including the hot-tempered Brother Majorique, two Aboriginal boarders, Bertholin Chamaillard and Menon Saganash, as well as the pharmacist Omer Dumontel and his wife Julienne. Vipérine has a lot to deal with: a ghost, a mystery dating from colonial times, jealousy and a lost inheritance. Vipérine has an endearing personality. A young, intelligent and resourceful orphan, she lives with her younger sister at a convent run by her great aunt. Sylvie Brien does justice to the issue of residential schools, and the treatment of Aboriginal youngsters, who were taken from their families and educated far from their relatives and traditions. They were even forbidden from speaking their own language. A great many children suffered cruelty and deprivation in these schools. –JP |
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