• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9

In 1882 the S.S. Asia, a dangerously overloaded passenger ship, went down in gale-force winds in Georgian Bay, Ontario. More than 100 passengers died in the wreck. Robert Sutherland takes this historical fact and creates a gripping story for middle-grade readers. Tommy Smith, a young orphan, barely survives the sinking. He should feel lucky. But months after being nursed back to health, Tommy discovers that he’s been framed for murder. It’s a good thing everyone believes Tommy drowned in the sinking, allowing him to take on a new identity in Toronto—and a great new job with the circus. But when his past suddenly catches up with him, Tommy must run for his life in a race against time.

Born in Priceville, Ontario, in 1925, Robert Sutherland lived briefly in Cape Breton and then Scotland before returning to Canada where he attended Flesherton High School. During World War II, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy and served from 1943 to 1946 as an anti-aircraft gunner on a Loch Class frigate (HMCS Loch Morlich). When his ship was in dry dock in London for repairs, he experienced doodlebug bombing. While in the navy he met Charlotte Cameron of Glasgow, and they married in Toronto in 1948. They have three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandson. Robert’s first success with fiction was a full length novel in the Toronto Star Weekly in 1960. He used the proceeds to set up a hobby of selling Scottish regalia and gifts from his home, a hobby he still pursues. On two of his many rejection slips for other novels, the editor had written “Suggest you try writing for teens.” When he returned to writing in the 1980s he decided to follow this advice. He rewrote the story that had been published in the Star, cutting down on the descriptions and making his protagonist a teen who accidentally stumbled into espionage. Mystery at Black Rock Island, published by Scholastic, was an immediate success, and the first of five successful books about teenagers David and Sandy. He has now had fourteen novels published, which have received numerous nominations and prizes. His novels have been translated into French, Norwegian, Swedish, German and Korean. Robert now lives in Westport, Ontario.

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