The Winter Road

A compelling story of survival: 17-year-old Willa, feeling estranged from her parents while the family mourns her brother's death, makes a solo flight without telling them to put herself back on their radar. But when mechanical failure brings down the plane in the winter wilderness of northern Ontario, she finds herself in a struggle for her very life. She has to design and apply resourceful solutions to a set of obstacles that, at first, appear hopeless. The dangers of starvation and freezing from the cold are evenly matched by the fear and despair that she must work to overcome; she makes progress as she confronts one problem at a time. Ironically, much of what keeps her going are things she had learned on back country trips with her father; and it is the memories of those good times as well as the knowledge he provided that steer her toward a plan to find rescue. The detail in this book is extraordinary, from the technical particulars of flying a small plane, through the rich depiction of the bleak and beautiful landscape, to the precise techniques that Willa uses to build a fish trap or to dismantle parts of the plane to make tools. The authentic portrayal evokes chills in the reader when things go wrong and jubilation whenever Willa resolves another dilemma. It's a great yarn, well worth the read.

Even though there's essentially just one character in this story, it really pulls you along by totally immersing you in her world as she struggles to survive in a frozen wilderness. The story is very realistic -- the author has clearly done his homework -- so as you read you're convinced: this really could happen exactly as described. At the same time, you get to know Willa very well as you experience her highs and lows: excitement and accomplishment when she manages to devise a fish trap that works, doubt and despair during the long dark nights. The target audience may be teens, but it's a great read for adults, as well.