A swashbuckling thriller, part one of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans of the eighteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…It is 1799. John Spencer is fourteen when his father’s ship, the ill-fated Isle of Skye, is shipwrecked on the coast of Cornwall as she makes for her home port. John survives the disaster, but soon learns to his horror that the villagers are not rescuers but wreckers – pirates who lure ships ashore in order to plunder their cargo… When John discovers that his father is alive but being held prisoner, he must try and rescue him – without knowing who can be trusted to help.

A swashbuckling thriller, part two of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans of the eighteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…“Steer clear of that ship,” warns the mysterious gentleman who shares the coach to Dover with John Spencer and his father. “Death she’ll bring you. It’s the way of a ship that was christened in blood.”This is an ominous introduction to the schooner John is about to be entrusted with for a voyage north to London. But he’s too charmed by the pretty Dragon to heed the advice. The ship looks clever and quick, and John, now sixteen, can’t wait to sail her. She was a smugglers’ vessel once, but that was in the past. Now she’s the Spencers’ Dragon, and she will proudly carry wool for honest trade.But soon John will be forced to consider the gentleman’s warning. Could a ship that’s seen a smuggling run truly be spoiled for anything else? And what does John really know about his “bonny” crew of four?Alive with breathtaking action and unforgettable characters, this companion to The Wreckers is masterfully entertaining – a rousing nautical adventure full of danger and surprise.

A swashbuckling thriller, part three of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans at the turn of the nineteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…"There's pirates in the West Indies. Cannibals. They cook you alive. They shrink your head to the size of a walnut," says Mr Spencer to his son. These words will haunt sixteen-year-old John Spencer as he embarks on his first voyage to foreign lands. Carrying cargo destined for Jamaica, John and his Dragon crew set off from London for waters few of them have sailed before. When they come upon a lifeboat adrift at sea, some are wary of the sailor aboard. His name is Horn, and something about this imposing and mysterious sailor isn't right. He carries a chest full of clinking glass, and his story doesn't quite make sense. Still, John respects the stranger's awe-inspiring seamanship. With Horn on deck, both John and the ship's captain believe the Dragon is in the best of hands.But is Horn to be trusted? The answers become more and more complicated as the Dragon encounters a very real – and very dangerous – pirate ship. Now John starts to believe his father's warnings, especially after he becomes separated from his shipmates and is stranded on an island reputed to conceal buried treasure. A place teeming with buccaneers…Brimming with furious high-seas adventure, this companion to The Wreckers and The Smugglers concludes with a bloodcurdling tale of pirates – and a surprise ending…

A young boy gradually comes to understand the difference between his toy soldiers and the bloodshed of the First World War in this poignant story.Ten-year-old Johnny loves the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. Johnny eagerly plays at war, demolishing imaginary foes. But in 1914, war with Germany looms, and all too soon Johnny's father is swept up in the war to end all wars as he proudly enlists to fight at the front in France. Johnny believes his father will be back in a few months, in time to celebrate Christmas with him and his mum. But the war is nothing like any soldier or person at home expected. It is brutal and horrific.The letters that arrive from Johnny's dad reveal the ugly realities of combat – and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious battle out in the muddy garden. His war games bind him to the father he longs to see again. But when these games seem to foretell his dad's real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father's fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man's-land, and the outcome of the war itself.In this haunting and poignant tale, Iain Lawrence explores the irrationality of war and its effect on lives that are all too fragile.

"There’s pirates in the West Indies. Cannibals. They cook you alive," says Mr. Spencer to his son. These words will come to haunt 17-year-old John as he embarks on his first voyage to foreign lands. Carrying cargo destined for Jamaica, John and his crew of the Dragon set off for waters few of them have sailed before. So when they come upon a lifeboat adrift at sea, some are wary of the sailor aboard. Something about his story doesn’t quite make sense. Still, John respects the stranger’s awe-inspiring seamanship. With Horn on deck, he feels the Dragon is in the best of hands.But is Horn to be trusted? The answer becomes muddled as the Dragon encounters a very real — and very dangerous — pirate ship. Now John starts to believe his father’s warnings, especially after he becomes stranded on an island reputed to have buried treasure. A place teeming with buccaneers!From the Hardcover edition.

Readers will relish this companion to the highly acclaimed adventure, The Wreckers:Young John is charmed by the Dragon, the schooner he is planning to sail to London and use for the honest wool trade.  But a mysterious gentleman delivers an ominous warning to "steer clear of that ship," because the ship was "christened with blood."  The ship looks clever and quick, and the crew seems to know how to man it, but with such a warning John is left to wonder how well he really knows what lies ahead.  Will he heed the advice given by the mysterious man?  Or will he brave the unknown on his own?From the Hardcover edition.

There was once a village bred by evil. On the barren coast of Cornwall, England, lived a community who prayed for shipwrecks, a community who lured storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of their shore. They fed and clothed themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage; dead sailors'' tools and trinkets became decorations for their homes. Most never questioned their murderous way of life.Then, upon that pirates'' shore crashed the ship The Isle of Skye. And the youngest of its crew members, 14-year-old John Spencer, survived the wreck. But would he escape the wreckers? This is his harrowing tale.From the Trade Paperback edition.

A modern-day adventure and classic in the making, in the vein of The Call of the Wild, Hatchet, and The Cay, by award-winning author Iain Lawrence.   Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive.   Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond—and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.From the Hardcover edition.

Harold Kline is an albino--an outcast. Folks stare and taunt, calling him Ghost Boy. It''s been that way all of his 14 years. So when the circus comes to town, Harold runs off to join it.Full of colorful performers, the circus seems like the answer to Harold''s loneliness. He''s eager to meet the Cannibal King, a sideshow attraction who''s an albino too. He''s touched that Princess Minikin and the Fossil Man, two other sideshow curiosities, embrace him like a son. He''s in love with Flip, the beguiling horse trainer, and awed by the all-knowing Gypsy Magda. Most of all, Harold is proud of training the elephants, and of earning respect and a sense of normality. Even at the circus, though, two groups exist--the freaks, and everyone else.Harold straddles both groups. But fitting in with those who are "normal" comes at a price, and sometimes it''s recognizing the truth beneath what''s apparent that ultimately leads to happiness . . . and turns a boy into a man.From the Hardcover edition.

A girl’s imagination transports polio-afflicted kids into a fantastic world.The spring of 1955 tests Laurie Valentine’s gifts as a storyteller. After her friend Dickie contracts polio and finds himself confined to an iron lung, Laurie visits him in the hospital. There she meets Carolyn and Chip, two other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Laurie’s first impulse is to flee, but Dickie begs her to tell them a story. And so Laurie begins her tale of Collosso, a rampaging giant, and Jimmy, a tiny boy whose destiny is to become a slayer of giants.As Laurie embellishes her tale with gnomes, unicorns, gryphons, and other fanciful creatures, Dickie comes to believe that he is a character in her story. Little by little Carolyn, Chip, and other kids who come to listen, recognize counterparts as well. Laurie’s tale is so powerful that when she’s prevented from continuing it, Dickie, Carolyn, and Chip take turns as narrators. Each helps bring the story of Collosso and Jimmy to an end—changing the lives of those in the polio ward in startling ways.From the Hardcover edition.

In the forests of Siberia, in the first years of the 20th century, a white pony runs free with his herd. But his life changes forever when he''s captured by men. Years of hard work and cruelty wear him out. When he''s chosen to be one of 20 ponies to accompany the Englishman Robert Falcon Scott on his quest to become the first to reach the South Pole, he doesn''t know what to expect. But the men of Scott''s expedition show him kindness, something he''s never known before. They also give him a name—James Pigg. As Scott''s team hunkers down in Antarctica, James Pigg finds himself caught up in one of the greatest races of all time. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen has suddenly announced that he too means to be first to the Pole. But only one team can triumph, and not everyone can survive—not even the animals.From the Hardcover edition.

Separated from his siblings, 11-year-old Virgil must survive a dangerous forest fire using only his wits and the lessons his late mother taught him about the wilderness.Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they've taken before. They carry precious cargo: the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. Then a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, and the journey quickly turns to disaster.Virgil finds himself separated from his brother and sister. With the fire moving closer and closer, he isn’t sure he can make it alone in the wilderness. But with the memory of his late mother, a science teacher, and all her lessons about the ecosystem and fire safety to guide him, he quickly learns that survival starts with letting go of your fears and taking action.Fire on Headless Mountain is a thrilling adventure tale that showcases not only the overwhelming beauty and terrifying power of nature, but also the gift of memory when facing great emotional and physical trials.Praise for DEADMAN’S CASTLE“Lawrence, the Canadian writer whose High Seas Trilogy encompassed three chilling historical novels, now offers a menacing, contemporary tale of dread, danger, and revenge. Portraying family dynamics and middle-school antics with equal insight and attention to detail, Igor’s first-person narrative is absorbing.”–Booklist  “Featuring effective worldbuilding, this is a great, suspenseful tale of terror for upper middle graders”.–School Library Journal “Friendship difficulties provide a contrast and an anchor to the terrifying threat, and the various plot elements are deftly tied together in a fitting twist that will have readers quickly turning the pages. Filled with suspense and intrigue."–Kirkus Reviews

Krabbe und ihr Bruder Alastair wachsen unter extremen Bedingungen auf. Paradiesisch schön, aber höllisch einsam ist es auf Lizzie Island, nur zusammen mit den Eltern, ohne wirklichen Kontakt nach außen. Die Situation spitzt sich verhängnisvoll zu, als beide aus der Kindheit heraustreten. - Einige Jahre später kehrt Krabbe als junge Frau auf die Insel zurück. Nicht nur für sie bedeutet ihre Rückkehr eine Reise in die Vergangenheit und eine Suche nach dem Sinn des Lebens.

Laurie ist eine geniale Geschichtenerfinderin, und mit ihrer besonderen Begabung entführt sie die Kinder einer Polio-Station in eine fantastische Welt. Was als Fabulieren beginnt, wird schließlich so wichtig wie das Leben selbst. In der Auseinandersetzung mit ihrer Krankheit entwickeln die Kinder einen bewundernswerten Mut.Als ihr Freund Dickie an Kinderlähmung erkrankt, besucht Laurie ihn in der Klinik. Dort lernt sie weitere junge Polio-Patienten kennen. Für die Kinder beginnt Laurie eine Geschichte zu erzählen: vom randalierenden Riesen Collosso und dem Jungen Jimmy, der zum Riesentöter berufen ist. Immer mehr fantastische Wesen treten auf, und schließlich glaubt Dickie, selbst eine Figur im erzählten Geschehen zu sein. Auch die anderen entdecken sich in der Handlung wieder. Sie werden von der Schilderung ganz in den Bann gezogen, und als Laurie nicht mehr weitererzählen kann, helfen sie mit,die Geschichte des Riesentöters zu Ende zu bringen. Damit verändert sich auch ihr Leben in erstaunlicher Weise.

In den weiten Wäldern Sibiriens streift zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts ein junges weißes Pony frei im Schutz seiner Herde umher. Doch alles ändert sich, als es von Menschen gefangen wird. Zusammen mit zwanzig anderen Ponys wird es als Zugpferd für die Expedition von Robert F. Scott ausgewählt, der als erster Mensch den Südpol erreichen will. Ein Abenteuer beginnt …Die Männer geben dem Tier auch einen Namen: James Pigg. Als das Team den Boden der Antarktis betritt, wird das Pony zum Teilnehmer eines spektakulären Wettrennens. Denn Roald Amundsen hat überraschend angekündigt, ebenfalls als Erster den Südpol betreten zu wollen. Aber nur eine Mannschaft kann gewinnen, und nicht jeder kann überleben – noch nicht einmal die Tiere.

Der zwölfjährige Chris darf auf Einladung seines Onkels an einem Segeltrip entlang der Küste Alaskas teilnehmen. Doch keine zwei Tage nach dem Start kentert das Boot; nur Chris und ein drei Jahre älterer Junge namens Frank – der Chris von Anfang an hasst – überleben.Die zwei Jungs retten sich an eine verlassene Küste – ohne Feuer, ohne Nahrung, ohne Funkmöglichkeit. Sie müssen den Strand nach Essbarem absuchen und Fische fangen. Bei einem neugierigen, freundlichen Raben fühlt Chris sich deutlich wohler als in der Gesellschaft des reizbaren Frank, aber die beiden müssen sich arrangieren, wenn sie in der Wildnis überleben wollen. Und was für ein Geheimnis birgt der unheimliche Baumder Toten, auf den sie bei ihrer Suche stoßen?Schließlich entdecken Chris und Frank eine unglaubliche Gemeinsamkeit zwischen sich. Und entwickeln ein Mitgefühl füreinander, das vielleicht den Weg in die Rettung weist

A swashbuckling thriller, part one of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans of the eighteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…It is 1799. John Spencer is fourteen when his father’s ship, the ill-fated Isle of Skye, is shipwrecked on the coast of Cornwall as she makes for her home port. John survives the disaster, but soon learns to his horror that the villagers are not rescuers but wreckers – pirates who lure ships ashore in order to plunder their cargo… When John discovers that his father is alive but being held prisoner, he must try and rescue him – without knowing who can be trusted to help.

A swashbuckling thriller, part two of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans of the eighteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…“Steer clear of that ship,” warns the mysterious gentleman who shares the coach to Dover with John Spencer and his father. “Death she’ll bring you. It’s the way of a ship that was christened in blood.”This is an ominous introduction to the schooner John is about to be entrusted with for a voyage north to London. But he’s too charmed by the pretty Dragon to heed the advice. The ship looks clever and quick, and John, now sixteen, can’t wait to sail her. She was a smugglers’ vessel once, but that was in the past. Now she’s the Spencers’ Dragon, and she will proudly carry wool for honest trade.But soon John will be forced to consider the gentleman’s warning. Could a ship that’s seen a smuggling run truly be spoiled for anything else? And what does John really know about his “bonny” crew of four?Alive with breathtaking action and unforgettable characters, this companion to The Wreckers is masterfully entertaining – a rousing nautical adventure full of danger and surprise.

A swashbuckling thriller, part three of THE HIGH SEAS ADVENTURES, set on the oceans at the turn of the nineteenth century – drama, horror, adventure…"There's pirates in the West Indies. Cannibals. They cook you alive. They shrink your head to the size of a walnut," says Mr Spencer to his son. These words will haunt sixteen-year-old John Spencer as he embarks on his first voyage to foreign lands. Carrying cargo destined for Jamaica, John and his Dragon crew set off from London for waters few of them have sailed before. When they come upon a lifeboat adrift at sea, some are wary of the sailor aboard. His name is Horn, and something about this imposing and mysterious sailor isn't right. He carries a chest full of clinking glass, and his story doesn't quite make sense. Still, John respects the stranger's awe-inspiring seamanship. With Horn on deck, both John and the ship's captain believe the Dragon is in the best of hands.But is Horn to be trusted? The answers become more and more complicated as the Dragon encounters a very real – and very dangerous – pirate ship. Now John starts to believe his father's warnings, especially after he becomes separated from his shipmates and is stranded on an island reputed to conceal buried treasure. A place teeming with buccaneers…Brimming with furious high-seas adventure, this companion to The Wreckers and The Smugglers concludes with a bloodcurdling tale of pirates – and a surprise ending…

A young boy gradually comes to understand the difference between his toy soldiers and the bloodshed of the First World War in this poignant story.Ten-year-old Johnny loves the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. Johnny eagerly plays at war, demolishing imaginary foes. But in 1914, war with Germany looms, and all too soon Johnny's father is swept up in the war to end all wars as he proudly enlists to fight at the front in France. Johnny believes his father will be back in a few months, in time to celebrate Christmas with him and his mum. But the war is nothing like any soldier or person at home expected. It is brutal and horrific.The letters that arrive from Johnny's dad reveal the ugly realities of combat – and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious battle out in the muddy garden. His war games bind him to the father he longs to see again. But when these games seem to foretell his dad's real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father's fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man's-land, and the outcome of the war itself.In this haunting and poignant tale, Iain Lawrence explores the irrationality of war and its effect on lives that are all too fragile.

"There’s pirates in the West Indies. Cannibals. They cook you alive," says Mr. Spencer to his son. These words will come to haunt 17-year-old John as he embarks on his first voyage to foreign lands. Carrying cargo destined for Jamaica, John and his crew of the Dragon set off for waters few of them have sailed before. So when they come upon a lifeboat adrift at sea, some are wary of the sailor aboard. Something about his story doesn’t quite make sense. Still, John respects the stranger’s awe-inspiring seamanship. With Horn on deck, he feels the Dragon is in the best of hands.But is Horn to be trusted? The answer becomes muddled as the Dragon encounters a very real — and very dangerous — pirate ship. Now John starts to believe his father’s warnings, especially after he becomes stranded on an island reputed to have buried treasure. A place teeming with buccaneers!From the Hardcover edition.

Readers will relish this companion to the highly acclaimed adventure, The Wreckers:Young John is charmed by the Dragon, the schooner he is planning to sail to London and use for the honest wool trade.  But a mysterious gentleman delivers an ominous warning to "steer clear of that ship," because the ship was "christened with blood."  The ship looks clever and quick, and the crew seems to know how to man it, but with such a warning John is left to wonder how well he really knows what lies ahead.  Will he heed the advice given by the mysterious man?  Or will he brave the unknown on his own?From the Hardcover edition.

There was once a village bred by evil. On the barren coast of Cornwall, England, lived a community who prayed for shipwrecks, a community who lured storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of their shore. They fed and clothed themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage; dead sailors'' tools and trinkets became decorations for their homes. Most never questioned their murderous way of life.Then, upon that pirates'' shore crashed the ship The Isle of Skye. And the youngest of its crew members, 14-year-old John Spencer, survived the wreck. But would he escape the wreckers? This is his harrowing tale.From the Trade Paperback edition.

A modern-day adventure and classic in the making, in the vein of The Call of the Wild, Hatchet, and The Cay, by award-winning author Iain Lawrence.   Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive.   Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond—and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.From the Hardcover edition.

Harold Kline is an albino--an outcast. Folks stare and taunt, calling him Ghost Boy. It''s been that way all of his 14 years. So when the circus comes to town, Harold runs off to join it.Full of colorful performers, the circus seems like the answer to Harold''s loneliness. He''s eager to meet the Cannibal King, a sideshow attraction who''s an albino too. He''s touched that Princess Minikin and the Fossil Man, two other sideshow curiosities, embrace him like a son. He''s in love with Flip, the beguiling horse trainer, and awed by the all-knowing Gypsy Magda. Most of all, Harold is proud of training the elephants, and of earning respect and a sense of normality. Even at the circus, though, two groups exist--the freaks, and everyone else.Harold straddles both groups. But fitting in with those who are "normal" comes at a price, and sometimes it''s recognizing the truth beneath what''s apparent that ultimately leads to happiness . . . and turns a boy into a man.From the Hardcover edition.

A girl’s imagination transports polio-afflicted kids into a fantastic world.The spring of 1955 tests Laurie Valentine’s gifts as a storyteller. After her friend Dickie contracts polio and finds himself confined to an iron lung, Laurie visits him in the hospital. There she meets Carolyn and Chip, two other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Laurie’s first impulse is to flee, but Dickie begs her to tell them a story. And so Laurie begins her tale of Collosso, a rampaging giant, and Jimmy, a tiny boy whose destiny is to become a slayer of giants.As Laurie embellishes her tale with gnomes, unicorns, gryphons, and other fanciful creatures, Dickie comes to believe that he is a character in her story. Little by little Carolyn, Chip, and other kids who come to listen, recognize counterparts as well. Laurie’s tale is so powerful that when she’s prevented from continuing it, Dickie, Carolyn, and Chip take turns as narrators. Each helps bring the story of Collosso and Jimmy to an end—changing the lives of those in the polio ward in startling ways.From the Hardcover edition.

In the forests of Siberia, in the first years of the 20th century, a white pony runs free with his herd. But his life changes forever when he''s captured by men. Years of hard work and cruelty wear him out. When he''s chosen to be one of 20 ponies to accompany the Englishman Robert Falcon Scott on his quest to become the first to reach the South Pole, he doesn''t know what to expect. But the men of Scott''s expedition show him kindness, something he''s never known before. They also give him a name—James Pigg. As Scott''s team hunkers down in Antarctica, James Pigg finds himself caught up in one of the greatest races of all time. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen has suddenly announced that he too means to be first to the Pole. But only one team can triumph, and not everyone can survive—not even the animals.From the Hardcover edition.

Separated from his siblings, 11-year-old Virgil must survive a dangerous forest fire using only his wits and the lessons his late mother taught him about the wilderness.Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they've taken before. They carry precious cargo: the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. Then a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, and the journey quickly turns to disaster.Virgil finds himself separated from his brother and sister. With the fire moving closer and closer, he isn’t sure he can make it alone in the wilderness. But with the memory of his late mother, a science teacher, and all her lessons about the ecosystem and fire safety to guide him, he quickly learns that survival starts with letting go of your fears and taking action.Fire on Headless Mountain is a thrilling adventure tale that showcases not only the overwhelming beauty and terrifying power of nature, but also the gift of memory when facing great emotional and physical trials.Praise for DEADMAN’S CASTLE“Lawrence, the Canadian writer whose High Seas Trilogy encompassed three chilling historical novels, now offers a menacing, contemporary tale of dread, danger, and revenge. Portraying family dynamics and middle-school antics with equal insight and attention to detail, Igor’s first-person narrative is absorbing.”–Booklist  “Featuring effective worldbuilding, this is a great, suspenseful tale of terror for upper middle graders”.–School Library Journal “Friendship difficulties provide a contrast and an anchor to the terrifying threat, and the various plot elements are deftly tied together in a fitting twist that will have readers quickly turning the pages. Filled with suspense and intrigue."–Kirkus Reviews

Krabbe und ihr Bruder Alastair wachsen unter extremen Bedingungen auf. Paradiesisch schön, aber höllisch einsam ist es auf Lizzie Island, nur zusammen mit den Eltern, ohne wirklichen Kontakt nach außen. Die Situation spitzt sich verhängnisvoll zu, als beide aus der Kindheit heraustreten. - Einige Jahre später kehrt Krabbe als junge Frau auf die Insel zurück. Nicht nur für sie bedeutet ihre Rückkehr eine Reise in die Vergangenheit und eine Suche nach dem Sinn des Lebens.

Laurie ist eine geniale Geschichtenerfinderin, und mit ihrer besonderen Begabung entführt sie die Kinder einer Polio-Station in eine fantastische Welt. Was als Fabulieren beginnt, wird schließlich so wichtig wie das Leben selbst. In der Auseinandersetzung mit ihrer Krankheit entwickeln die Kinder einen bewundernswerten Mut.Als ihr Freund Dickie an Kinderlähmung erkrankt, besucht Laurie ihn in der Klinik. Dort lernt sie weitere junge Polio-Patienten kennen. Für die Kinder beginnt Laurie eine Geschichte zu erzählen: vom randalierenden Riesen Collosso und dem Jungen Jimmy, der zum Riesentöter berufen ist. Immer mehr fantastische Wesen treten auf, und schließlich glaubt Dickie, selbst eine Figur im erzählten Geschehen zu sein. Auch die anderen entdecken sich in der Handlung wieder. Sie werden von der Schilderung ganz in den Bann gezogen, und als Laurie nicht mehr weitererzählen kann, helfen sie mit,die Geschichte des Riesentöters zu Ende zu bringen. Damit verändert sich auch ihr Leben in erstaunlicher Weise.

In den weiten Wäldern Sibiriens streift zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts ein junges weißes Pony frei im Schutz seiner Herde umher. Doch alles ändert sich, als es von Menschen gefangen wird. Zusammen mit zwanzig anderen Ponys wird es als Zugpferd für die Expedition von Robert F. Scott ausgewählt, der als erster Mensch den Südpol erreichen will. Ein Abenteuer beginnt …Die Männer geben dem Tier auch einen Namen: James Pigg. Als das Team den Boden der Antarktis betritt, wird das Pony zum Teilnehmer eines spektakulären Wettrennens. Denn Roald Amundsen hat überraschend angekündigt, ebenfalls als Erster den Südpol betreten zu wollen. Aber nur eine Mannschaft kann gewinnen, und nicht jeder kann überleben – noch nicht einmal die Tiere.

Der zwölfjährige Chris darf auf Einladung seines Onkels an einem Segeltrip entlang der Küste Alaskas teilnehmen. Doch keine zwei Tage nach dem Start kentert das Boot; nur Chris und ein drei Jahre älterer Junge namens Frank – der Chris von Anfang an hasst – überleben.Die zwei Jungs retten sich an eine verlassene Küste – ohne Feuer, ohne Nahrung, ohne Funkmöglichkeit. Sie müssen den Strand nach Essbarem absuchen und Fische fangen. Bei einem neugierigen, freundlichen Raben fühlt Chris sich deutlich wohler als in der Gesellschaft des reizbaren Frank, aber die beiden müssen sich arrangieren, wenn sie in der Wildnis überleben wollen. Und was für ein Geheimnis birgt der unheimliche Baumder Toten, auf den sie bei ihrer Suche stoßen?Schließlich entdecken Chris und Frank eine unglaubliche Gemeinsamkeit zwischen sich. Und entwickeln ein Mitgefühl füreinander, das vielleicht den Weg in die Rettung weist