Synopses & Reviews
Life in the wilds of Alaska is hard for fifteen-year-old Josh, and a budding friendship with a visitor from the city, fourteen-year-old Shannon, makes him long for civilization more than ever. Josh feels trapped in the cabin he shares with his father and his half-brother, Nathan. It is Nathan whose reverence for nature has exposed the family to the dangers of life in the woods, but Nathan is that least willing to make the tough choices necessary for survival. josh fears that Nathan's blind ideals will place them all in grave danger. And, as long as their father refuses to leave, Josh worries that he may never be able to come out of the wilderness. Josh must learn to understand his brother and stand up for himself in this compelling family drama set against a stunning Alaskan backdrop.
Review
Josh, 15, lives with his father and older half-brother, Nathan, in a cabin in the wilderness 100 miles from Anchorage, Alaska. Living there was Nathan's idea; he is full of high-minded ideas about nature that are rigorous but not always realistic. Josh, a pretty good woodsman, would rather live in a place where he could enjoy friends, girls, video games, and hockey, but when he kills a bear that is charging them, Nathan reacts with fury. Josh and his fatherwho, to Josh's chagrin, would follow Nathan anywherelearn that Nathan identifies closely with the bears; he decides that he can't live with them because they are meat- eaters, and moves into an elderly neighbor's empty cabin. When the neighbor's relatives (including a pretty 14-year-old girl) come to spend a weekend at the cabin, Josh hopes the conflicts of interest will precipitate his move back to town. In the end, it is Nathan's risky involvement with the bears that forces the issue. Vanasse (A Distant Enemy, 1997) pulls readers into the story from the outset, and her sensitively drawn characters display a realistic mix of love and loyalty. The complex interplay of feelings in this troubled family, set against the pristine beauty of backwoods Alaska, imbues an already compelling read with a refreshing combination of action and psychological depth.
Kirkus Reviews
"A coming-of-age novel with moments of true adventure." School Library Journal
Review
'\"A coming-of-age novel with moments of true adventure.\"'
About the Author
Deb Vanasse lives in Alaska with her family.