New Releases by Ben Mikaelsen

Lost and alone in the jungle, one boy will have to let go of his assumptions and anger, or be dragged down with them. Dylan Barstow has finally crossed the line. After getting caught on a late-night joyride in a stolen car, Dylan is shipped off to live with his ex-Marine uncle for the summer. But Uncle Todd has bigger plans for Dylan than push-ups and early-morning jogs. Deep in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, there's a WWII fighter plane named SECOND ACE that's been lost for years, a plane that Dylan's own grandfather barely escaped from with his life. In all this time, no one has ever been able to track down SECOND ACE -- but now Dylan and his uncle are going to try.Lush and haunted, vital and deadly, these alien jungles half a world away could mean Dylan's salvation, or they could swallow him whole.

They call Gabriela Tree Girl. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests. Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life? Ages 12+

When thirteen-year-old Ricky Diaz discovers that his mother was actually murdered by drug dealers, he's desperate for revenge. But his father, a former drug enforcement agent, refuses the mission the DEA now offers: to steal an airplane with an American-made radar detector that the cartel uses to smuggle drugs from Mexico. Angry with his father for throwing away the chance to avenge his mother, Ricky decides to take matters into his own hands – he will steal the plane. He runs away to Mexico, disguising himself as one of the many rateros, or homeless children. Life on the streets proves extremely hard and dangerous, and he's barely surviving when he meets Soledad, a crafty but kindhearted ratera. With her help, he must find a way to get into the drug cartel's compound and take the plane - or end up as yet another casualty in the raging drug war. In this thrilling novel, author Ben Mikaelsen sheds light on America’s war on drugs and the grittiness of street life while exploring an unexpected friendship and the healing power of family.

Koby’s whole life changed after the accident four years ago. Between the smothering concern of her separated parents and the awkward glances from the kids at school, Koby only feels at home when she is on the ocean in her dinghy. That all changes when she rescues two dying pilot whales. Day after day, she visits the whales as they begin their long road to recovery. She finds a new friend in Dr. Tracy Michaels, a veterinarian, and gains the admiration of her classmates. But most importantly, Koby starts to recognize her own strength and courage.

When guerrilla soldiers strike Santiago's village, they destroy everything in their path -- including his home and family. Santiago and his four-year-old sister escape, running for their lives. But the only way they can be truly safe is to leave Guatemala behind forever. So Santiago and Angelina set sail in a sea kayak their Uncle Ramos built while dreaming of his own escape. Sailing through narrow channels guarded by soldiers, shark-infested waters, and days of painful heat and raging storms, Santiago and Angelina face an almost impossible voyage hundreds of miles across the open ocean, heading for the hope of a new life in the United States.

Alone in the wilderness, Cole found peace. But he's not alone anymore. Cole Matthews used to be a violent kid, but a year in exile on a remote Alaskan island has a way of changing your perspective. After being mauled by a Spirit Bear, Cole started to heal. He even invited his victim, Peter Driscal, to join him on the island and they became friends. But now their time in exile is over, and Cole and Peter are heading back to the one place they're not sure they can handle: high school. Gangs and violence haunt the hallways, and Peter's limp and speech impediment make him a natural target. In a school where hate and tension are getting close to the boiling point, the monster of rage hibernating inside Cole begins to stir. Ben Mikaelsen's riveting saga of survival and self-awareness continues in the sequel to his gripping Touching Spirit Bear. This time, he weaves a tale of urban survival where every day is a struggle to stay sane. As the problems in his school grow worse, Cole realizes that it's not enough just to change himself. He has to change his world.

After his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life. This gripping, graphic survival story from an award-winning writer paints an unsparing picture of one violent teen and offers a poignant testimony to the power of pain that can destroy and may also heal.

Moving to a new town is no fun for Trevor Ladd, and it only gets worse when he protects a nursing home patient from the neighborhood bullies. Walking home from school, he catches the bullies throwing snowballs at a withered old man named Petey. As he chases them off, he can't imagine that his life is about to change. Petey has spent his life in institutions. Born with cerebral palsy, he was misdiagnosed as an infant and grew up in mental institutions. As an adult, he is bound by his wheelchair and struggles to communicate with the people around him. But Petey sees something in Trevor and is determined to become his friend -- and Trevor soon learns that there is more to Petey than meets the eye. Petey is a touching story of friendship, discovery, and the domination of the human spirit over physical obstacles.

When thirteen-year-old Josh runs away to the mountains of Montana with an orphaned bear cub destined for laboratory testing, they both must fight for their lives in a sudden snowstorm.

Non ! Ils n'auront pas mon ours ! Ils ne l'enverront pas dans un laboratoire ou dans un zoo ! Quand Josh réalise qu'il ne pourra garder l'ours dont on a tué la mère et qu'il a recueilli dans la montagne, il s'enfuit avec lui. Ni les policiers lancés à ses trousses, ni ses parents, ni son vieil ami Otis qui lui a appris à aimer les bêtes, ne le persuaderont de revenir. En s'opposant tout seul aux lois qui ne protègent pas assez la nature et les animaux, un garçon de treize ans va donner aux adultes une formidable leçon de courage et de liberté.

Twelve-year-old Koby, who has lost a foot in an accident, sees a chance to prove her self-reliance to her parents when she tries to rescue two stranded pilot whales near her home in the Florida Keys.

When thirteen-year-old Josh runs away to the mountains of Montana with an orphaned bear cub destined for laboratory testing, they both must fight for their lives in a sudden snowstorm.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR BEN MIKAELSEN DANGER IN SPACE! Separated by country and culture, will danger unite Elliot, a young astronaut, and Vincent, a Maasai herder? When NASA selected Elliot to be the first teen in space, he eagerly anticipated the day he would board the space shuttle Endeavour. After intense preparations, Elliot never expected anything to go wrong on his voyage, but when danger threatens, the only contact he has, via shortwave radio, is with Vincent, a Maasai boy in Kenya. The two can't agree on anything. When the Endeavour makes an emergency landing on the coast of West Africa and Elliot's life is hanging in the balance, can he and Vincent reconcile their cultural differences and become friends? "Mikaelsen weaves a provocative message through his novel and blends two fast-paced stories into a single, powerful whole." —Booklist (starred review)

CALIFORNIA YOUNG READERS' MEDAL WINNER A DARING RESCUE —or a deadly risk? Ever since Josh's older brother died, his father has been drinking too much and taking his anger out on Josh. But when he orphans a bear cub, it's more than Josh can stand. Josh insists on rescuing the bear cub—only to find that he must surrender it to game officials. Knowing the cub will be sent to a research labo­ratory, Josh makes a defiant choice. Taking only his brother's motorcycle, the cub, and his dog, Josh runs away to the mountains, vowing to stay until the hunting laws are changed. But the mountains hold unexpected menace, and Josh's bid for justice soon becomes a battle to survive. "A fast and suspenseful survival story."—Bulletin, Center for Children's Books • International Reading Association Award Winner • Western Writers of America Spur Award Winner • California Young Readers' Medal Winner • Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award Winner • CBC/IRA Favorite Paperback for 1994

When thirteen-year-old Ricky Diaz discovers that his mother was murdered by drug dealers, he's desperate for revenge. But his father, a former drug enforcement agent, refuses the mission the DEA now offers: to steal an airplane with an American-made radar detector that the cartel uses to smuggle drugs from Mexico. Angry with his father for throwing away the chance to avenge his mother, Ricky decides to take matters into his own hands—he will steal the plane. He runs away to Mexico, disguising himself as one of the many rateros, or homeless children. Life on the streets proves extremely hard and dangerous, and he's barely surviving when he meets Soledad, a crafty but kindhearted ratera. With her help, he must find a way to get into the drug cartel's compound and take the plane—or end up as yet another casualty in the raging drug war. In this thrilling novel, author Ben Mikaelsen sheds light on America's war on drugs and the grittiness of street life while exploring an unexpected friendship and the healing power of family. "Readers who require a fast-paced plot with lots of action, tension, and danger will find everything they want in Mikaelsen's latest novel....A dynamite story."—Booklist (starred review) A California Young Readers' Medal Winner A Pacific Northwest Library Association Readers' Choice