Available July 2003 1-55380-007-9 BISAC:  JUV 000000, JUV030030, JUV039050 5-1/4 x 7-5/8 135 pp $9.95 pb  YA Novel,  BC History

Set in the present day, John Wilson's young adult novel Adrift in Time explores the tensions in family life between parents and children. It also demonstrates how the new generation's knowledge of the family's past can ease those tensions. The novel opens with Ian, a teenager, finding that he no longer enjoys spending his summer holidays at the family cottage on Mayne Island in British Columbia. He misses the fun of being with his friends in the city. Arguments with his father grow more and more frequent, and Ian feels that his dad refuses to see his point of view, always going on about the old days and long-dead relatives. After one nasty argument, Ian takes off in his boat to assert his independence by rowing to the next island. But things go seriously wrong as the current sweeps Ian out to the open water of Georgia Strait. When night falls and rain begins to pelt down, Ian recognizes that hypothermia is setting in. But even as hope fades, ghosts suddenly begin appearing. Led by Emily, Ian's great grandmother, a succession of long-dead ancestors and local characters appear on the boat telling him their stories—the stories of pioneer life on the Gulf Islands—bringing understanding of his family and inspiring Ian to persevere until dawn brings rescue.

"Gentle ghosts, the wild Pacific ocean and a boy's growing awareness of his family's history blend perfectly. A fine story, beautifully told." — Ann Walsh

John Wilson, who was born in Scotland, is an ex-geologist and the author of more than a dozen successful fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. His other publications for 2003 include And in the Morning (Kids Can Press), Flames of the Tiger (Kids Can Press), Discovering the Arctic: The story of John Rae (Napoleon Publishing), and Dancing Elephants and Floating Continents (Key Porter). He makes his home in Nanaimo, British Columbia.