• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

Fifteen-year-old Jay Smith's quite life in the Alaska wilderness is shattered when his uncle, Midnight, arrives in his yellow Norseman airplane with news of war. It is 1942, and Canada and the United States have joined forces in a desperate bid to defend North America against Japanese attack. Together the two countries will build a 1,500-mile highway through the wilderness in only eight months. Suddenly Jay's life is filled with adventure and the colourful charachers he meets working along the Alaska Highway.

As the highway nears completion, Midnight disappears in the Valley of Lost Planes, and Jay sets off to find him. But will a strange old prospector named Goldbug, who guards lost planes, let him into the valley?

Shirlee Smith Matheson is the author of numerous teen novels and nonfiction books, including The Gambler's Daughter, Maverick in the Sky, Flying the Frontiers, and Amazing Flights and Flyers. She lives in Calgary and leads writing workshops, presents readings, and travels widely to discover more exciting tales. Her website is www.ssmatheson.ca.

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