Christie Redfern's Troubles

Under a birch tree beside her father's farm brook, Christie Redfern tries to turn her worries into a prayer. She misses the Scottish village where she spent her early childhood, and her mother's death has left her unhappy under Aunt Elsie's harsh care. Margaret M. Robertson's children's novel gives these family troubles a Christian purpose, asking how a child with little strength or money can still serve others.

A later scene follows Christie and John Nesbitt as they choose a singing canary for little Allie. Its price matters to a girl earning small wages, but she delights in the pleasure the bird might bring. Christie also wishes to return home, while feeling obliged to remain with the delicate Mrs Lee until another helper can take her place. Domestic work, homesickness and generous impulses give the story its everyday concerns. Readers of religious fiction for children will find moral choices worked out through conversation, fatigue and practical acts of care.