• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 6 to 9
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Short-listed for the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award, 2010
It is 1900, and 14-year-old Bertie McCross is a newspaper boy in downtown Toronto. Berties family has fallen on hard times and can use every penny he brings home from hawking newspapers on the frigid streets. However, in order to do that Bertie has to keep out of the clutches of the Kelly Gang, a family of slightly older Cabbagetown toughs who are shaking down "newsies."
On Christmas Eve, Bertie is almost cornered by the Kellys but is saved by Tommy Fry and Milwaukee Ed, who introduce Bertie to the thrills of iceboat racing on Lake Ontario. Soon Bertie is swept up in the fast and dangerous sport and meets a whole crew of new friends, including Isobel, a girl from a wealthy family with a mansion on Jarvis Street. The continued pursuit by the Kelly Gang, a plunge into freezing harbour water, and the clash of classes all lead up to a spine-tingling race to end all races.

STEVE PITT has been a freelance writer for nearly 30 years, specializing in parenting issues and children`s book reviewing. A recipient of a national award for humour, he is the author of Guyness: Deal with it body and soul, Teasing: Deal with it before the joke`s on you and Rain Tonight: A Tale of Hurricane Hazel. He lives with his family in Toronto.

Steve Pitt's profile page

• Short-listed, Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award

his good-humoured eye for detail provides plenty of vigour Dont be turned off by the antiquarian photograph on the cover of this book. There are bright, funny moments within

Toronto Star, The

" ... Pitt's vivid descriptions of the ice-boat races and Bertie's struggle to escape the Kelly Gang's wrath reward the reader with exciting action a fast-paced, thrilling story recommended for any library, but especially school libraries. The book will appeal to young adults who are interested in sports and history - two topics that don't often intersect."

CM Magazine

Faster Than Wind

From the first page of Faster Than Wind, author Steve Pitt throws the reader right into the action – with newspapers, porcupines, the hubbub of a Christmas market, local gangs and a desperate climb up a Christmas tree. It’s 1906 Toronto and Bertie McCross – having escaped his enemies, the Kelly gang – finds himself the new crew member of one of the iceboats that race in Toronto Harbour throughout the winter. The iceboats are not for the faint of heart; they achieve speeds of up to 100 km an hour and the navigation through pressure ridges, cracks, snags and thin ice often results in spills, bruises and even broken bones.

Bertie and his crewmates soon encounter and take on board the adventurous and wealthy young Isobel – soon to be followed by Hwei Coon, the first Chinese student enrolled in the Toronto school system. As they make a name for their team, Bertie continues to evade the Kellys until a surprising turn of events changes his life, his view of the gang – and eventually – the iceboat team.

Author of several books of history, Pitt packs in an extraordinary amount of historical detail, which only occasionally threatens to slow the action. He vividly brings to life the sights, sounds and smells of Toronto in 1906. Bertie and his friends are believable characters and every detail of their story – both the humorous and the serious – rings true. This is an exciting and satisfying tale for lovers of history, sailing or simply adventure.

Faster Than Wind

It’s 1900, and 14-year-old Bertie McCross is swept up in the fast-paced and perilous sport of iceboat racing. The continued pursuit by the Kelly Gang, a plunge into freezing harbour water, and the clash of classes all lead up to a spinetingling race to end all races.