If I Die Before I Wake: The Flu Epidemic Diary of Fiona Macgregor

If I Die Before I Wake: The Flu Epidemic Diary of Fiona Macgregor, Toronto, Ontario, 1918 is an enjoyable and emotionally engaging contribution to the Dear Canada series, although I would not call it a personal favourite. With young Fiona Macgregor, author Jean Little has created a likable and winsome main narrator. Fiona is personable, a talented and observant budding writer, although also somewhat opinionated and mischievous (and quite aware of and honest about both her strengths and weaknesses, her laudable character traits, as well as her faults).

Some of the diary entries are simply heartbreaking, with the Macgreggor family first almost losing Fiona's twin sister to the Spanish Flu, and then actually losing one of the older show more daughters to the disease. And really, until the very end of the book, I was completely engrossed in Fiona's story, and as emotionally connected and satisfied as I usually am when reading the Dear Canada series. However, the ending is a trifle too far-fetched, too unrealistic for my own personal tastes; it rather turned the story into a standard Harlequin Romance type of tale and lessened my reading pleasure to an extent. If I Die Before I Wake: The Flu Epidemic Diary of Fiona Macgregor, Toronto, Ontario, 1918 is still to be recommended as a good, solid contribution to the Dear Canada series, although I do not consider it as enjoyable and as realistic as some of the other books of the series. show less

One of my favourite books... Ah, what can I say? Beautiful book, have used it for many an essay or literacy project! Plot is simple yet ingenious, heartwarming yet not too mushy. Ending is unpredictable, but amazing. The metaphors, songs, and poems "penned" in this 'diary' are very true and actually thought-provoking.

If I Die Before I Wake is part of the Dear Canada series. This book is about a girl named Fiona and her family during the Spanish Flu. Soon her loving family is torn apart as the Spanish flu is brought to Canada by soldiers returning from fighting overseas in World War I. Fiona turns to her diary, telling about her fears of what is happening and about her twin sister who has gotten ill with the disease. When I was in grade 4, I was obsessed with the series and read every single book. This one was definately my favourite out of all the Dear Canada books I read.

In a household already suffering from the earlier death of their mother, tragedy strikes once again in the form of "Spanish Influenza" brought back in epic proportions by soldiers returning from WWI. A wonderful addition to the "Dear" series. No readily available in the US but well worth ILLing from Canada.

ah yes i am back in my dear america/dear canada phase again

10