Kevin Major’s Hold Fast and the Critical Reception of a Milestone Canadian Novel for Young Adults

This paper examines the critical reception of Kevin Major’s Hold Fast , published in 1978, as a hinge event in the field of production of Canadian children’s literature. It is argued that this novel represents a Canadian version of the social realism narrative that was well established in the United States by the mid-1970s and that recognizable conventions of this type of literature augmented its positive reception. Equally important  for its continued celebration as a notable work, however, were its uniquely Canadian themes and motifs. These themes are explored through a close examination of reviews and commentary published between 1978 and 2006. Questions are raised about reviewers’ refusal to situate the title against earlier publishing for young people in Canada and about the role that the professionalization of young adult literature and librarianship played in the reception of the title.