Summer Reading
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Release date: January 10, 2012 | Age Range: 9 and up
What begins as a training run with sled dogs turns into a race against time for Tatum and her new friend, a Siberian Yupik boy named Cole. When a freak blizzard hits this remote island off the coast of Alaska, the duo seeks shelter overnight in a dilapidated hunting cabin. Their harrowing ordeal goes from bad to worse when wind-driven snow forces them to risk an alternate route. Stranded in the untamed wilderness, they must rely on each other—as well as their faithful huskies—to survive sub-zero temperatures and bone-numbing exhaustion. Worse still, their food supply is dangerously low. The most daunting decision comes when the strongest dog runs away. One person must go for help, while one must stay behind. Either way, they'll both be alone in the wild for an uncertain amount of time.
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"Riveting and atmospheric, this is a tale of teenage Tatum, who becomes lost and separated from her friend on an Alaskan island with only a team of dogs, a few supplies and her instincts to keep her alive . . . Told in fast-paced third-person, this survival adventure creates an almost otherworldly experience within a treacherous and bracingly beautiful landscape." - Kirkus Reviews
"Mesmerizing and intense . . . It is a mark of good storytelling that the reader feels both the quiet solitude of vast expanses of snow and the thrilling fear that Tatum and Cole may not make it home again. This adventure will be a hit with both middle grade girls and boys." - BookPage.com
About the Author
Travel writer SHERRY SHAHAN (Frozen Stiff) not only talks the talk but walks the walk. She has written many magazine and newspaper articles based on dozens of press trips to the 49th state. Her details of the unforgiving environment and its challenges are both authentic and startling. She has also authored the photo-illustrated Dashing Through The Snow: The Story of the Jr. Iditarod.
Shahan's latest adventure novel features teens and their sled dogs, ICE ISLAND (Random House, 2012). Woven into the bone-chilling story is info about the 1925 Serum Run and the history of Alaska's famed 1049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. ICE ISLAND has been selected for the California Collection 2013 list. novel
PURPLE DAZE is the powerful story of an unforgettable year. It's a story about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, and friendship. Set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965, six high school students share their intense experiences through journal entries, notes, interconnected free verse and traditional poems. Together they learn important lessons about the world, their friends, and themselves as they take part in America's most volatile cultural revolution. Rock on!
Visit www.SherryShahan.com
DEATH MOUNTAIN is based on a frightening personal experience: Shahan's backpacking group was caught in a deadly electrical storm on an exposed ridge. The pack horse and mule were struck by lightning and killed; three women in her party were airlifted off the mountain by helicopter.
Other adventures include hiking a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, riding horseback into a remote Maasai village in Africa, and bouncing around inside a dog sled for the first part of the famed 1049-mile Iditarod Race in Alaska. Those are just the "A"s . . .
Ice Island made me feel all the senses Tatum was going through. I could picture myself in her painful situations. The author used powerful language, making me, the reader, able to experience everything that went on in the story. I enjoyed the book a lot, because of how the girl, Tatum, went through a lot. I didn't used to like survival stories, but this one was a page-turner.
. . . maybe this product is the best or the next best product that I have ever purchased in this particular category or genre or what ever word is applicable.
As she did in her award-winning novel Frozen Stiff, Sherry gives us a satisfying & very real Alaskan experience. The action is authentic and the human-human relationships and human-dog relationships give us a fascinating look into the lives of two budding mushers. When I read an excerpt of Ice Island for friends, Anne r. Allen (Ghost Writers in the Sky, The Gatsby Game, & How to be a Writer in the E-Age...), commented, "I started to feel cold, just listening to it." D. August Baertlein (Synapse) noted, "Wow! Fantastic reading of a thrilling novel..."
Ice Island is a must read for ages 10 yrs and up. Boys, Girls and Dog Lovers. This is not just another adventure story. It puts you right in the dogsled with Tatum. This book really hyped me up for my next trip to Alaska.
