The Root Cellar is a children's

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 historical novel

Historical novel

According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...

 by Janet Lunn

Janet Lunn

Janet Louise Lunn, is a Canadian children's writer.Born in Dallas, Texas, she moved with her family to Vermont when she was an infant. In 1938, she moved again to the outskirts of New York, New York. In 1946, she came to Canada to attend Queen’s University and married a fellow student, Richard...

. It won the 1982 Canada Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award

Canada Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award

The Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award was established 1947. A medal presented annually to the author of the best children's book published in Canada. The author must be a citizen or resident of Canada...

. In 1988 the book won the California Young Reader Medal

California Young Reader Medal

The California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...

Plot

Twelve-year-old Rose Larkin is an orphan

Orphan

An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...

 whose parents have died when she was only three years old. Rose originally lived with her grandmother. After her grandmother dies, she is sent off to live with relatives in Ontario, Canada. After being miserable about the way her cousins treat her, she flees down into a root cellar

Root cellar

A root cellar is a structure built underground or partially underground and used to store vegetables, fruits, and nuts or other foods.-Construction:Common construction methods are:...

. There, Rose is transported back in in time to the 1860's and the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.