• Age: 12 to 15
• Grade: 7 to 10
• Reading age: 11 to 13

Driftwood & the Necessary Forest Book Four of the Driftwood Saga. Hans Blekansit, estranged father of the young sorceress Driftwood Ellesmere and ruthless businessman, is aggressively logging the Stoltmann Wilderness Area. As Driftwood and her friends fight to defend the land near Camp Magee, she is magically transported to Atlatopia, the planet of the Necessary Forest and eventual victim to the evilly efficient systems of the Poison Tree of Bureaucracy. On this wild new world Driftwood encounters many entities including famed philosopher Sir Thomas More, Morphaleafus the Dreaming Tree and an unlikely ghost from her past. WilL these diverse beings be able to assist the adept magician at thwarting the PoisonTree’s ruthless grip that threatens to uproot the joy from this plant paradise? The Driftwood Saga chronicles the magical quests of a young girl and her attempts to understand and solve various world problems including child labour, endangered species and the military industrial complex. Driftwood & the Necessary Forest, the penultimate fourth volume, is written by James Davidge (Mathemagick & Mystiphysics,The Duchess Ranch of Old John Ware) with illustrations by Eric Jordan (DriftwoodSaves the Whales).

James Davidge was born in Edmonton, Alberta and studied mathematics education at the University of Calgary. His first novel, Driftwood Ellesmere, was published in 2006 by Bayeux Arts. He has since released the four remaining novels that complete the Driftwood Saga, a series about a young girl who tries to save the world using heartfelt magic. James has released two graphic novels with Edmonton artist Bob Prodor; The Duchess Ranch of Old John Ware recounts the inspirational legend of a respected black cowboy from Calgary's frontier history; Thirteen Minutes is a 20th century fable about the Alberta Eugenics Board, the Dadaist art movement and the short-lived Prairie Hockey League. James released My Modern Panic in 2012 - a collection of short comic and prose stories that playfully yet thoughtfully address various social issues. It features illustrations by many great Canadian artists including Fiona Staples, Nick Johnson and Judd Palmer. James also writes an ongoing comic series entitled Mathemagick that is illustrated by his cousin, Vancouver animator Jesse Davidge. An active founding board member of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, James teaches at the Willow Park School for Arts-Centred Learning and lives just outside of Calgary with his wife and daughter.

James Davidge's profile page