Winter Road, The

The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson Coining of Age/Adventure Front Street, 2006, 175 pp., $16.95 ISBN: 1932425454

Willa Raedl is frustrated with her life. School is unfulfilling, and at home she feels ignored and unimportant. Ever since her brother Ray died, it seems her family has been disconnected and numb to her feelings.

On one particularly challenging day, Willa sees an opportunity to prove to her familyand to herself-that she is more capable and responsible than they often believe her to be. When she discovers her uncle is not in any condition to fly out and transport her mother from one city to another, she decides to fly his plane over to pick up her mother herself.

After trying to navigate through a blizzard, the plane crashes in a snowy wilderness, and she must figure out how to survive deathly cold temperatures with only a few supplies and the knowledge she has gained over the years from her father and uncle.

Terry Hokenson's first, The Winter Road is a story of survival and self discovery and shows how one girl finds value in herself through determination and perseverance.

Suzy Oertel

Topeka, KS

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Fall 2006
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