• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Can a high-seas, whale-saving adventure repair the hurt between two friends?
How do you decide where your heart lies when it’s being tugged at from so many sides?

When Robin and Zo-Zo discover that their beloved lake has become a toxic sludge — the result of an algae bloom — they know they have to do something to fix it. But trouble begins when the two friends develop a crush on the same boy during a community meeting to save the lake.

To help repair things between the girls, Robin’s grandmother, Griff, suggests a high-seas adventure with a whale-saving old friend of hers. Out on the open water Robin must decide what’s more important: a relationship with a boy or saving the animals she loves.

Karen Hood-Caddy was born in Toronto and educated at Toronto schools. Although she lived in the city as a child, she spent her summers and as many weekends as possible at the family cottage in Muskoka. Her love of the wilderness and particularly of the Muskoka region of Ontario developed early and greatly influenced her entire life. Karen graduated from York University, where she was vice-president of the student’s council, with a degree in sociology. She began her career as a social worker in Toronto, but after several years, feeling jaded and burnt-out, she moved to Scotland. There she lived for seven years at the Findhorn Institute, an international spiritual community, where she was soon leading workshops in meditation and self-empowerment. Her experiences there and her extensive travels throughout India, Greece, Central Europe, Ireland, Morocco and the United States have proven to be important influences in her writing. As a writer, Karen has had poems, short stories and articles published in Canada, the United States and Scotland, but her real passion is for reading and writing novels. A few years ago, John Robert Columbo stated in the Globe and Mail that Karen Hood-Caddy was ”a writer to keep an eye on“. Karen currently lives in Muskoka. She still loves the wilderness and believes passionately in the importance of the preservation of our environment. The fact that she is able to live and work in Muskoka, one of the most beautiful regions in Canada, provides her with a continuing source of satisfaction and happiness.

Karen Hood-Caddy's profile page

Hood-Caddy uses evocative language to paint a picture in the readers mind. The characters are relatable and engaging.

Resource Links

There are many reasons to recommend this book. It’s entertaining, informative and inspiring, all while exploring relationships and passions.

City Parent magazine

A touching work that will stir young readers to become environmentalists which tackles the usual adolescent issues.

School Library Journal

Hood-Caddy seamlessly integrates information about ecology and animal conservation into the plot, which will both enlighten and entertain middle-grade readers.

Booklist

Many of the issues raised add an element of intrigue and excitement to a novel that also touches on more traditional teen issues.

Montreal Gazette