Elixir (Walters novel) facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Eric Walters |
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| Cover artist | John Mantha |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Published | 2005 |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Media type | Paperback, hardcover |
| Pages | 182 |
| ISBN | 0143016415 |
Elixir is an exciting historical novel written by the Canadian author Eric Walters. The story happens in 1921 at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. It is based on the real-life discovery of insulin by scientists Frederick Banting and Charles Best. The book is told from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old girl named Ruth.
Contents
Discovering a Cure for Diabetes
This section explores the main story of Elixir. It follows Ruth as she learns about important medical research.
Ruth's Journey at the University
The story begins with 12-year-old Ruth. She often goes to the University of Toronto with her mother. Her mother works there as a cleaner. One day, Ruth is studying outside the university building. She is practicing her spelling.
A kind doctor named Dr. Banting sees her. He is working hard to find a cure for diabetes. Dr. Banting invites Ruth to have tea with him.
A Difficult Discovery
Ruth soon learns something that upsets her. Dr. Banting and his helper, Dr. Best, are testing new treatments. They are doing these tests on dogs. Ruth feels very worried about the animals.
Outside the university, a group of people are protesting. They are called the Ontario Anti-Vivisection group. They believe that animals should not be used for experiments. Ruth meets Mellisa Jones, who leads this group. Ruth decides to help them free the dogs.
A Change of Heart
Ruth's plans change when she meets a girl named Emma. Emma has diabetes and is very sick. She urgently needs a new treatment to get better. Meeting Emma makes Ruth understand how important Dr. Banting's work is. Ruth realizes that the research could save many lives.
Because of Emma, Ruth decides to stop the animal rescue. She goes to find Dr. Banting. She learns that the doctors are testing their new treatment, called insulin. They are using it on a dog that is already in a diabetic coma. The experiment works, and the dog gets better. This shows that insulin can help those with diabetes.
