After a ship founders on the rocks off the coast, Nathan suspects a survivor is hiding in a cave on the other side of the island. When suspicious events start happening, including a trading post robbery, he decides to explore the forest looking for clues. He happens upon a burial site in the forest - a �ghost canoe� suspended in the treetops. What he finds there leads him into an adventure that is filled with danger, mystery, and suspense.
Will Hobbs does a great job of recreating for the reader the setting for this adventure story. He includes a detailed map of the area where the story is set, making it easy for the reader to envision and enhancing its believability. He provides sensory-rich details that make the scenes come to life.
Action and adventure rule in this book, and the author wastes no time getting the reader involved in the story. Nathan encounters danger in the first few pages of the book when he gets locked out of the lighthouse. He encounters many crises throughout the tale, and shows physical and mental stamina in weathering all of them. Nathan is able to exercise his independence because his of his parents� circumstances. His father is absent, working at the lighthouse, and his mother is usually confined to the cottage due to her poor health.
Although the protagonist is not a richly detailed character, the reader sees him successfully maneuver the challenges he encounters in the story and grow from his ordeals. He learns fishing and canoeing skills from his Indian friend that help him make the transition to adulthood. His maturation is evident after the climax of the story, when his parents decide to move back to California for his mother�s health. Although Nathan loves the Northwest and doesn�t want to leave, he agrees to move to California with his family and help them get settled, deferring his personal dreams for a later time.
Part of the appeal of the book is the historically and geographically accurate setting, including Hobbs� treatment of the Makah Indian culture. Kirkus Reviews (April 1, 1997) says, �While the mystery is compelling, it is Hobbs's deft weaving of Makah culture into the story that resonates, from their harvesting of wood without cutting any trees to their generosity to friends.� Reluctant readers will find this �winning tale that artfully combines history, nature, and suspense� hard to resist. (School Library Journal, April 1, 1997)
Awards
Edgar Allen Poe Award
Land of Enchantment Book Award
Golden Sower Award (Nominee)
Arizona Young Reader�s Award (Nominee)
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Nominee)
Children�s Book Award � Georgia (Nominee)
Prairie Pasque Award (Nominee)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee)
Sunshine State Young Reader�s Book Award (Nominee)
Related Websites
Will Hobbs Website: http://www.willhobbsauthor.com
Makah Tribe Website: http://www.makah.com
Tatoosh Island Lighthouse:
http://www.naturalmoment.com/lighthouses/Tatoosh-Light-2.html
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 10 October 2004.
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY