This is one of those select few books that I find so wonderful, so uplifting, so satisfying, that writing an adequate review is extremely difficult, if not impossible. I have always loved [a:Jean Little|46155|Jean Little|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1247680045p2/46155.jpg] as a children's author, and [b:Belonging Place|3113608|The Belonging Place|Jean Little|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|822160] is not only an interesting and illuminating story about a young girl's life and struggles in 19th Century Scotland and Canada, it is intensely emotionally engaging and satisfying (it seems like one is really in the 19th Century, it feels like one is walking with Elspet Mary, feeling her pain, her frustrations, her joys and her triumphs). Elspet is a wonderful and charming narrator and heroine, in fact, all of the characters in this novel, wether they be heroes or villains, are wonderfully and realistically conceptualised and presented. Recommended for anyone who is a fan of [a:Jean Little|46155|Jean Little|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1247680045p2/46155.jpg], as well as anyone who enjoys historical novels, especially historical novels set in 19th Century Scotland and/or Canada. [b:Belonging Place|3113608|The Belonging Place|Jean Little|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|822160] has certainly become one of my favourite children's novels, a book to treasure and to enjoy over and over again. ( )