“How brave are you?”
“Not very.”
“Well, you will be tomorrow.”
Twelve-year-old Lizzie is in trouble. She used to live a comfortable life with her loving father, but after the stock market crash of 1929 and his sudden death, she and her family now live in poverty. Lizzie is expected to help support the family, but she can’t even cook without burning food. One day, a letter arrives. Her wealthy uncle has offered her a paying job as a summer governess for her two young cousins at a remote logging camp, so she travels alone into the wilderness of Vancouver, British Columbia. To her horror, she discovers that her uncle is missing from the camp. Penniless and stranded, Lizzie’s worst fears are soon confirmed—she is being held hostage by the camp's boss. “Accidents are easy to explain in the woods,” he writes in a ransom letter to her uncle. Lizzie learns that in order to survive, she will have to perform the most dangerous job at the camp—the high climber. She has one chance to save herself and return to her family. Her intelligence and bravery will be tested to the limit as she pulls on the climber harness to prove to everyone, including herself, what she is truly capable of.
Genre: Children's Fiction
“Not very.”
“Well, you will be tomorrow.”
Twelve-year-old Lizzie is in trouble. She used to live a comfortable life with her loving father, but after the stock market crash of 1929 and his sudden death, she and her family now live in poverty. Lizzie is expected to help support the family, but she can’t even cook without burning food. One day, a letter arrives. Her wealthy uncle has offered her a paying job as a summer governess for her two young cousins at a remote logging camp, so she travels alone into the wilderness of Vancouver, British Columbia. To her horror, she discovers that her uncle is missing from the camp. Penniless and stranded, Lizzie’s worst fears are soon confirmed—she is being held hostage by the camp's boss. “Accidents are easy to explain in the woods,” he writes in a ransom letter to her uncle. Lizzie learns that in order to survive, she will have to perform the most dangerous job at the camp—the high climber. She has one chance to save herself and return to her family. Her intelligence and bravery will be tested to the limit as she pulls on the climber harness to prove to everyone, including herself, what she is truly capable of.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Praise for this book
"Caroline Arden's luminous, lyrical debut The High Climber of Dark Water Bay updates A Little Princess for readers living through our own Great Recession. Fans of Twilight will relish revisiting the lush woodlands of the Pacific Northwest, and anyone who has ever doubted that she has the strength necessary to carry on in the face of insurmountable difficulty and fear will find a kindred spirit in Lizzie, who learns that power and strength can be found in the most surprising places." - Katherine Howe
"In The High Climber of Dark Water Bay, Caroline Arden has created the hero we have been waiting for in Young Adult Lit – Lizzie is authentic, relatable and proves herself a force to be reckoned with. Engaging and immersive, Arden’s writing is clean and crisp. Vivid imagery and concise storytelling combine to create a story for all ages." - Kathleen Kaufman
"The High Climber of Dark Water Bay took me back to the best books of my youth--an old-fashioned (in the best possible way!) adventure tale for all the once-and-future Jo Marches out there! I loved Lizzie's honesty and self-reliance and curiosity. Arden has created a world of rich and vivid detail that I was reluctant to leave." - Joanna Pearson
"In The High Climber of Dark Water Bay, Caroline Arden has created the hero we have been waiting for in Young Adult Lit – Lizzie is authentic, relatable and proves herself a force to be reckoned with. Engaging and immersive, Arden’s writing is clean and crisp. Vivid imagery and concise storytelling combine to create a story for all ages." - Kathleen Kaufman
"The High Climber of Dark Water Bay took me back to the best books of my youth--an old-fashioned (in the best possible way!) adventure tale for all the once-and-future Jo Marches out there! I loved Lizzie's honesty and self-reliance and curiosity. Arden has created a world of rich and vivid detail that I was reluctant to leave." - Joanna Pearson
Used availability for Caroline Arden's The High Climber of Dark Water Bay