• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Charles Cedar Dance has little in common with his hippie mother. At the annual school camp, Charles has a chance encounter with the father he has never known and while spying on him at a nearby anti-logging protest camp, Charles finds himself at the centre of a mystery involving a saboteur-turned-kidnapper.

When Charles decides he wants to get to know his dad, he learns the truth about his parents and must re-evaluate his view of his family.

It's hard not to like this realistic, convincing, coming-of-age summer-camp story with a hint of mystery. - Kirkus

Told in the first person by Cedar, this engrossing and believable story captures perfectly the angst of a pre-teen trying to find his place in the world. Cedar's story is told with wry, self-deprecating humor while subtly revealing that, despite his doubts about himself and his dubious athletic abilities, he is very much his own person, stronger and wiser than he is aware. The main characters in this book are pleasingly portrayed as real people doing their best according to their lights . . . a fast-paced and intriguing read. - CM Reviews

Monica Nawrocki has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and working with at-risk youth. As a teacher/counselor at the Regional Support Centre in Selkirk, Manitoba, she learned that empathy, love, and flexibility in the middle of a crisis is a tremendous opportunity for so-called “bad” kids to learn the important life skills that will lead them to success. She has written both fiction and non-fiction and now lives and works on Cortes Island, BC.

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"Told in the first person by Cedar, this engrossing and believable story captures perfectly the angst of a pre-teen trying to find his place in the world. Cedar's story is told with wry, self-deprecating humor while subtly revealing that, despite his doubts about himself and his dubious athletic abilities, he is very much his own person, stronger and wiser than he is aware. The main characters in this book are pleasingly portrayed as real people doing their best according to their lights ... a fast-paced and intriguing read." - Highly recommended, CM Magazine

The search for his father provides adventure, mystery, suspense, and an unexpected conclusion. While the action is successfully maintained throughout, much of the pleasure comes from Cedar's first person narrative, and the immediacy created by his direct address to the reader. His deprecating sense of humour and turns of phrase (he is so sensitive to pain, he can?t bear to see earthworms trying to get underground after rain) have a great deal of charm. His witty conversations with his side-kick, Jessica, who has been toughened up by her family of older brothers, add to the liveliness of the narrative. This satisfying novel depicts a non-traditional family, who overcome their different opinions and life choices to be mutually supportive, bonded by tolerance and affection. - Joan Givner