Fifteen-year-old Rowan, the daughter of foreign correspondents on assignment in Africa, finds herself beached for a summer with her cousins on a tiny island near Tofino, BC--a drastic change from the international hustle to which she has become accustomed. Desperate for a summer project and a chance to prove herself an intrepid researcher like her parents, she camps out on a neighbouring island to monitor the progress of an endangered group of sea otters, further threatened by the development plans of a real estate agent vying to buy the property for tourism. Making notes in her journal and documenting the habits and behaviour of the rare otters, Rowan makes the case for their safety and with the help of her relations, journalists and a committed marine biologist she leads the fight for their environmental protection. Before the summer is out Rowan has learned a valuable lesson about a precious gift and the importance of telling a story no one wants to hear.

5.25 X 8.25 Trade paperback 100 pp ISBN 0-88878-390-6 $8.95 CDN $5.95 US