Au revoir l'Acadie - Audio Book

It is 1755, and a war is going on between the French and the English territories in Canada. Marie and her family live in Acadia, and consider themselves 'neutral'. But one Sunday, the village is attacked by British soldiers, who declare Acadia to be British territory. They force Marie and her family, together with all the other inhabitants of the village, onto boats, to be banned from their lands. There is a rumour that Marie's boyfriend has betrayed the village to the English army. Marie can't believe it, but she will spend a long time struggling for her life before she has a chance to find out whether it is true or not.

This tragic yet exciting story at B1 level is read in a pleasantly calm and clear voice. The story is written in the past tense. Wordcount: 240 unique words.

For an even better language learning experience you can read the novel 'Au Revoir l'Acadie' on paper whilst listening to the audiobook. 

"I did not know about this episode in the Canadian history, and am happy to have read this novel. The action driven story pulled me in right from the start, and experiencing the war from the point of view of Marie and her family was a good way to make me realize what this war (and other wars) meant for the people who just happened to live in the region."

Information for teachers

The personal perspective that offers us an insight in the history of Canada allows us to connect to the historical events on a personal level. Students can listen to (and possibly read along with) the audiobook simply as a compelling story, or you could spend time discussing the historical information offered at the end of each chapter. 

The story is not only interesting from a historical point of view, but also offers a connection to actual wars and refugees.