“One of the most original and gripping novels I’ve read in a long time. Set in the years after the Great War, Sisters of the Spruce pitches the reader into the harsh life of a logging camp, where Japanese-Canadian teenager Khya Terada risks the dangers of the BC wilderness and the even greater dangers of civilized society to seek justice for her sister and a new life for her friend Daisy. Leslie Shimotakahara has created an unforgettable heroine.”

—Janie Chang, Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Porcelain Moon and The Library of Legends

"This is exactly THE book I have been wanting to read—fierce, adventuresome, vulnerable girls who never give up!"
—Rebecca Labrador, co-host of Canada Reads American Style

"[A] poignant story of friendship and love, family loyalty and the strength of the human spirit."

—Fiona Alison, Historical Novel Society

“Set a century ago in the Queen Charlotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii), Leslie Shimotakahara’s Sisters of the Spruce tells the story of a teenage Japanese-Canadian girl, Khya, and her struggle for justice and survival in the brutal, largely male world of the lumber camps. Much like Huckleberry Finn, Khya encounters a succession of strange, often unsavoury characters on her trek; unlike the slightly younger Huck, she ultimately finds romance as well as adventure. Aided by extensive research and family documents, Shimotakahara brings to vivid life a largely forgotten chapter in Canadian history, when Chinese, Japanese and Indigenous peoples joined with White settlers to build the wooden warplanes that helped win the First World War.”

—Ted Goossen, translator, editor of The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories and co-editor of MONKEY: New Writing from Japan

“Sisters of the Spruce is a captivating tale of Asian female bonds forged in the wilds of British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii (then known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). Drawing on family lore as well as historical research, Shimotakahara has channelled her grandmother’s spirit to create a fearless and plucky heroine and to shed light on the little-known story of Japanese Canadians who laboured in the northern logging industry over a century ago. Fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists and intrigue, Sisters of the Spruce is a refreshing new take on the adventure story, unlike anything you have read before.”

—Lynne Kutsukake, author of The Translation of Love

“Set during World War I in British Columbia's logging camps, where giant spruces were felled for the Allied airplanes, Sisters of the Spruce celebrates survival and sisterhood. Japanese-Canadian Khya Terada embarks on a dangerous journey to save her sister, as their family disintegrates under the pressure of the camp’s ethnic conflicts. Rich historical detail and complex characters fuel this glorious adventure story.”

—Diane Terrana, author of The World on Either Side

"Shimotakahara offers evocative descriptions of the landscape.... [S]he brings the buried ruins of the era to life."

—Heather Ramsay, Literary Review of Canada

“Thanks to Shimotakahara’s accurate and spiritually sensitive writing, I was right there in the wartime Canadian West with Khya. From the perspective of growing up in Japan and learning Japanese history, I was moved by the parallel history that unfolded on the other side of the Pacific. A must-read!”

—Yoko Morgenstern, author of A Perfect Day to Die

"Shimotakahara’s storytelling prowess shines brightly in this evocative tale of adventure, survival, and the enduring bonds of kinship."

—Namrata, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal