Arctic
3 primary works
Book 1
For someone afraid of the dark, living in the Arctic is a severe test of courage. There the sun doesn't shine for several months of the year. Jean-Paul, a young Canadian boy, struggles to hide his fear and adjust to life in the Northwest Territories, where he is taunted and excluded from activities by a group of Inuit boys because of his small size and a limp caused by a birth defect.When Jean-Paul finally succeeds in impressing the boys with the tricks he's taught his husky, Sasha, they agree to let him join their club, the Ice Patrol. But as part of the initiation, they force him into a deserted igloo that is rumored to be haunted, where he must remain for two hours. The forced imprisonment, with no light and only Sasha for company, proves to be just the beginning of the most serious challenges to face Jean-Paul in the harsh Arctic environment. (Ages 8-12) Imprint: Aurorawolf Books LCCN: 2005911191
Book 2
A coming-of-age novel for fans of Gary Paulsen, Scott O'Dell & Jack London, in which a young French boy learns to love and let go. Returning to the Arctic after a two-year absence, 12-year-old Jean-Paul Ardoin has overcome his fear of the dark, only to discover his best Inuit friend Chinook is terrified of the Northern Lights! Polar bears, huskies, auroras that speak--and danger in the Arctic. Sequel to "The Haunted Igloo."(Ages 12 & up)
Book 3
Seventeen-year-old David Jansson moves to an isolated fur-trading post at Gjoa Haven to live with his father, Per Jansson, manager for the Hudson's Bay Company. David hasn't seen his dad for five years, and the hot-tempered man he finds is not the gentle father he remembers-he has become a domineering, abusive alcoholic. A loving reunion between the two seems unlikely as father and son desire the same girl; the Inuit shaman ignores local customs and chooses the white youth for his apprentice; and Per hides a chilling family secret behind a bottle of rum. To escape an intolerable situation in a land where escape is nearly impossible, David stubbornly risks his life by underestimating the weather ... and his own heart. A young-adult coming-of-age novel with paranormal overtones, Drum Dance is set in Canada's central Arctic in the late 1930s, in the same location where explorers froze to death searching for the Northwest Passage. (Teens/Adults)