Frozen Stiff

What begins as a two-night camping and kayaking trek in the untamed Alaskan wilderness turns into a test of survival for Cody and her cousin Derek. While their mothers are in Juneau picking up supplies for Yakutat Lodge, the cousins sneak off in an old pickup. The taste of freedom is soon tainted when Cody's kayak is lost on the rising tide, washing away her life vest and precious supplies.

With only each other for support, the cousins face hunger and their fears of the unknown region of Southeast Alaska. As an advancing glacier floods the remote fjord, Cody and Derek find themselves facing menacing waves, immense icebergs, and wild animals. A sense that someone is following them adds to the formidable danger.

Used in the classroom as a companion to Call of the Wild and Julie books. "Battle of the Books" list, 2009-10.

Selected Works

Fiction
Death Mountain (Peachtree)
Adventure-survival novel. "The level of technical detail rivals Gary Paulsen's Hatchet."
--School Library Journal
Picture Book
Picture Books
That's Not How You Play Soccer, Daddy! (Peachtree)
"Watercolor and collage illustrations keep the action moving.... the father-son relationship is appealingly depicted."
--School Library Journal
Middle-grade novel
Frozen Stiff (Random House)
"A compelling adventure story with a highly realized Alaskan setting . . . A solid, readable, well-researched novel with good plotting andconvincing characters..."