Luke Baldwin’s Vow

A story of a boy and his dog and their adventures, which will appeal to the many children who are dog lovers. It is also a sensitive story of love and loss, and of making a new life for oneself. Although it was first published seventy years ago, only a few details (such as clothing) really indicate that it is not a contemporary story.

Luke is not yet 12 when his father dies of a heart attack, leaving him an orphan. Small for his age and something of a loner, he moves from the city to the country to live with his aunt and uncle. He is naturally homesick and grieving the loss of his father. His well-meaning and kindly aunt and uncle do their best for him; but his only real friend and comfort becomes Dan, the farm’s elderly, one-eyed collie. Practical Uncle Henry considers Dan useless now that he is too old to be a watchdog and decides that Dan should be “put down.” Luke, whose sense of dignity and loyalty transcend the practical, frantically tries to save Dan’s life, providing for heart-racing suspense as he makes his stand against the expedient world of adults.

Morley Callaghan was the author of 15 novels, including The Loved and the Lost, It’s Never Over, Strange Fugitive, Such Is My Beloved, the classic memoir That Summer in Paris, and his stories are anthologized in Exile Editions’ four-volume set, The Complete Stories of Morley Callaghan. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and received a host of honors in Canada, including the Governor General’s Award for Fiction.

Jane Urquhart is an internationally acclaimed novelist and poet and author of numerous books.