This historical time-travel novel, for children ten and up, is the third volume in Cathy Beveridge's ongoing series on Canadian disasters. Once again we meet Jolene and her twin brother Michael, this time in an RV on the shores of the Great Lakes, where her father and grandfather are conducting research into the Great Storm of 1913.
Away from home, twelve-year-old Jolene feels fragile and lost, lacking a sure sense of direction in her life. When Grandpa discovers a time crease that enables them to step back into 1913, Jolene embraces the opportunity, feeling that she may find some help for her self-doubts in witnessing an earlier time.
At first, however, the past offers no answers. Jolene's high-spirited new friend Em is a total mystery, and her ardent support of the suffragettes reinforces Jolene's self-doubts. Then Em inadvertently leads the twins onto the Regina as the ship sails onto Lake Huron and into the Great Storm. When the order to abandon the sinking ship comes, they manage to escape and spend a night clinging to a raft in frigid waters. With her twin brother injured, Jolene is forced to draw on all her resources to allow the threesome to survive. In the process, she discovers her inner strength and a new passion for life.
Cathy Beveridge enjoys exploring memorable and often defining moments in time. Her novels include Tragic Links, a thrilling tale of two Quebec tragedies; Shadows of Disaster, a Frank Slide adventure; Chaos in Halifax, about the Halifax explosion; and Stormstruck, the story of the Ontario Great Storm of 1913. Two contemporary novels, Offside and One on One, were published by Thistledown Press.
Her books have won the Snow Willow Award and been shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain, Gold Eagle, Diamond Willow and Red Cedar awards. Beveridge often visits schools and libraries, giving workshops and readings. She lives with her family in Calgary.