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The Hand of Robin Squires
The mystery of Oak Island has fascinated people since the early 1800s. Joan Clark's classic novel will keep young readers on the edge of their chairs until the dramatic conclusion.
150 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1981
About the author
Joan Clark
32 books50 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Joan Clark BA, D.Litt (hon.) (née MacDonald)is a Canadian fiction author.
Born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Clark spent her youth in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. She attended Acadia University for its drama program, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with English major in 1957.[1] She has worked as a teacher
Clark lived in Alberta for two decades and attended Edmonton's University of Alberta. She and Edna Alford started the literary journal Dandelion in that province in the mid-1970s. She eventually returned to Atlantic Canada, settling in Newfoundland.
Joan Clark's early work consisted primarily of literature for children and young adults, such as Girl of the Rockies (1968), The Hand of Robin Squires (1977), and The Moons of Madeleine (1987). By contrast, her 1982 short-story collection, From a High Thin Wire, is a decidedly mature and sometimes sexually charged work. This volume was revisited by Clark and republished with revisions in 2004. Clark has a reputation for continuously revising her works even after their initial printing.
Joan Clark's next publication for adult readers was The Victory of Geraldine Gull (1988), a novel examining the clashes of culture and religion between Cree, Ojibwa, and white communities in Niska, a village in Hudson Bay. The Victory of Geraldine Gull was a finalist for the GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARD and the Books in Canada First Novel Award. Clark published a second collection of short stories, Swimming Towards the Light, in 1990. The following year she was presented with the Marian Engel Award, recognizing her entire body of work.
Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck (1993) was the first of two novels by Clark based on the Viking presence in Newfoundland. The novel focuses on Freydis Eiriksdottir, daughter of Eirik the Red and sister to Leif ("The Lucky") Eirikson. The Dream Carvers (1995) follows the adventures of Thrand, a Norse child.
Clark wrote her first published novel as a young stay-at-home mother, writing in longhand during her infant son’s naptimes. “I had never written fiction before and was amazed that I had been walking around without knowing that there was a story inside my head. That joy of discovery has kept me writing ever since.”
Clark served on the jury at the 2001 Giller Prize.
Clark lives in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Joan Clark BA, D.Litt (hon.) (née MacDonald)is a Canadian fiction author.
Born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Clark spent her youth in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. She attended Acadia University for its drama program, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with English major in 1957.[1] She has worked as a teacher
Clark lived in Alberta for two decades and attended Edmonton's University of Alberta. She and Edna Alford started the literary journal Dandelion in that province in the mid-1970s. She eventually returned to Atlantic Canada, settling in Newfoundland.
Joan Clark's early work consisted primarily of literature for children and young adults, such as Girl of the Rockies (1968), The Hand of Robin Squires (1977), and The Moons of Madeleine (1987). By contrast, her 1982 short-story collection, From a High Thin Wire, is a decidedly mature and sometimes sexually charged work. This volume was revisited by Clark and republished with revisions in 2004. Clark has a reputation for continuously revising her works even after their initial printing.
Joan Clark's next publication for adult readers was The Victory of Geraldine Gull (1988), a novel examining the clashes of culture and religion between Cree, Ojibwa, and white communities in Niska, a village in Hudson Bay. The Victory of Geraldine Gull was a finalist for the GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARD and the Books in Canada First Novel Award. Clark published a second collection of short stories, Swimming Towards the Light, in 1990. The following year she was presented with the Marian Engel Award, recognizing her entire body of work.
Eiriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck (1993) was the first of two novels by Clark based on the Viking presence in Newfoundland. The novel focuses on Freydis Eiriksdottir, daughter of Eirik the Red and sister to Leif ("The Lucky") Eirikson. The Dream Carvers (1995) follows the adventures of Thrand, a Norse child.
Clark wrote her first published novel as a young stay-at-home mother, writing in longhand during her infant son’s naptimes. “I had never written fiction before and was amazed that I had been walking around without knowing that there was a story inside my head. That joy of discovery has kept me writing ever since.”
Clark served on the jury at the 2001 Giller Prize.
Clark lives in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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August 14, 2023This is a pretty epic story and was hard to put down. It is well written as well. There is some violent content regarding slaves and how they are treated and the horrific work they are made to do so this is not for really young readers. My 12 year old loves this book and has read it multiple times. It sure is a story with true villains!
December 5, 2018
I first read this book 15 years ago, and to be completely honest I think nostalgia may have influenced my rating a little. This is one of those stories that has always stuck with me, there's one scene in particular near the end that I continued to think about fifteen years later. I had forgotten most of the plot, and for a few years I even forgot the name of the book, but that scene and imagery was so strong it stuck with me. I think that if a scene is that good, it deserves the nostalgia.
If I'm being critical, the pacing felt a little off and the ending didn't quite feel fulfilling. But I thought the characters were well-developed and Robin's POV felt genuine. I think the voice and tone suited the narrator perfectly. The story takes place in the early 1700s and the writing feels very true to that.
If I'm being critical, the pacing felt a little off and the ending didn't quite feel fulfilling. But I thought the characters were well-developed and Robin's POV felt genuine. I think the voice and tone suited the narrator perfectly. The story takes place in the early 1700s and the writing feels very true to that.
November 5, 2022
👍 The last time I read this was in elementary school years ago. It's nothing particularly groundbreaking or revolutionary but it stuck with me for a long time due to how gruesome parts of the ending are, especially for a kids book. Anyways, this is a fun little book that manages to cram in a lot of progression, adventure and thrill despite the extremely short page count. It's also hard to find, probably due to not being published anymore.
February 4, 2021
Fun little read, with pirates, treasure and Oak Island.
November 29, 2015
I read this one a few times when I was about eleven and I quite liked the macabre aspects of it. I was fascinated by the mysterious "Money Pit" on Oak Island. I wanted it to be true so badly! Around this time I'd gone to a symposium for this program I was in and they'd introduced us to all kinds of strange mysteries and theories that have unsatisfying conclusions—the Philadelphia Experiment, Mayan crystal skulls, that kind of thing—and I never cared if they were true or not. I loved being in suspense and lived in that moment of believing in possibilities. Also loved anything set in Canada, and feel as if I read a far greater amount of Canadian writing as a kid than I do now.
October 9, 2014
For a pirate adventure, I found this story to be too slow for my taste. By page 65, I felt like nothing much had happened, so I gave up on it.
September 22, 2015
It was good! I read for school!
November 3, 2013
My grade 7 homeroom teacher had us read this in English class. Honestly, all I can remember is that it was the one and only book we read in English class all year. How sad is that?
July 22, 2014
This is the book that began my fascination with Oak Island.
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May 25, 2018good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews