To those who would argue that our history is boring, freelance journalist and author Jennifer Crump offers Canada Under Attack, part of Dundurn’s Canadians at War series. With crisp writing and a fast pace, Crump tells 13 fascinating stories about moments in which our country was threatened by a foreign power, starting with the 17th-century struggle between the French and English.

Some of the events described in the book are well known (the German U-boat attacks in the St. Lawrence), while others are more obscure (the 19th-century “Almost War” over the border between Maine and New Brunswick). But each chapter brings something interesting to the table, and even a seasoned reader of Canadian history may learn a thing or two. How many people know about the Japanese “fire balloons” that crossed the Pacific Ocean to drop incendiary devices on Canada during the Second World War? How many understand that British success during the War of 1812 depended in large measure on fooling the Americans into thinking they were facing a massive Canadian militia?

Crump’s avoidance of military jargon ensures that the book is accessible and engrossing for readers interested in history, intrigue, adventure, or all of the above. Curiously, however, there is the lack of maps. The battle of Louisburg, for example, is very confusing without a drawing of the fort and the area around it. It would give some context to long-ago battles if readers could understand that many of these events took place in their own backyards.

The author has also made some odd decisions concerning vocabulary in a book aimed at a younger audience: terms like ad hoc, tithing, and bayonetting, while historically germane, may leave newer readers scratching their heads. As well, some of the book’s spelling and grammatical errors (e.g., referring to a Scottish person as a “Scott”) set a poor example.

All the same, this is a great addition to Canadian history for young people, with endnotes and a bibliography that provide a solid jumping-off point.