The Hollow Tree

The Hollow Tree

Is a book by Janet Lunn. It was the 1998 winner of the Governor General's award for Children's Fiction. It was also a national bestseller.

the story starts in 1775 and Phoebe Olcott is plunged into the horrors of the American Revolution when her cousin, Gideon was hanged for being a British Spy. Whe she finds the secret message she left behind, Phoebe knows she must deliver it. On a journey that brings her face to face with rebel guns and wild animals, she is first befriended by a cat and a bearcub, and than by Jem Morrissay, a young Loyalist escaping to British Canada. Although Phoebe and Jem discover their growing attraction to each other, Phoebe's mission cannot be ignored. She must go on alone.

From Book's back cover description