Trouble at the Top of the World
- Publisher
- McClelland & Stewart
- Initial publish date
- Jan 2009
- Category
- Hockey, Mysteries & Detective Stories, General
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780771056093
- Publish Date
- Jan 2009
- List Price
- $6.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 8 to 12
- Grade: 3 to 7
Description
Global warming, conservation, the exotic Arctic — topics that kids are interested in and can get excited about — make this latest addition to the bestselling series a winner.
The Screech Owls have been invited to the Inuit community of Pangnirtung, high in the Arctic Circle in Canada's newest province, Nunavut. For the Owls, it is a magical world, filled with twenty-four-hour daylight, golf among the icebergs, feasts of raw meat, dogsleds, and the magnificent polar bear. They have come to play in a four-team tournament that features Zeke Zebedee, the greatest hockey talent ever to come out of the Arctic. But they also land smack in the middle of a story of international intrigue, global warming — and threatened species.
About the author
In the fall of 2006, Roy MacGregor, veteran newspaperman, magazine writer, and author of books, came to campus. Since 2002, MacGregor had been writing columns for the Globe and Mail, but he had a long and distinguished career in hand before he came to the national newspaper. He has won National Newspaper Awards and in 2005 was named an officer in the Order of Canada. He is the author of more than 40 books — 28 of them in the internationally successful Screech Owls mystery series for young readers — on subjects ranging from Canada, to the James Bay Cree, to hockey. That fall, he spoke to a packed room in the St. Thomas chapel. After the lecture, Herménégilde Chiasson, the Acadian poet, artist, and New Brunswick's Lieutenant Governor of the day, hosted a reception at the majestic Old Government House on the banks of the St. John River. MacGregor spent the evening surrounded by young journalists and the conversation continued late into the night. After all, there were more than three decades of stories to tell.
Excerpt: Trouble at the Top of the World (by (author) Roy MacGregor)
We were at our billets’ home when the knock came. Sam was napping and Sarah was surfing the net in search of more scientific background on polar bears.
We were both tired from the hockey game — which was a pretty neat victory for the Owls, even if it did mean we all had to act like we were happy for the dreaded Nishikawa.
We thought it was one of the kids, Billy, calling us for dinner. But no, it wasn’t Billy at all. It was Zebedee.And he had his finger raised to his lips so we’d keep quiet. He spoke in a whisper.“Can we go for a walk?” he said. “I need to talk to you two.”
We looked at each other, wondering what was up, and then quickly put our shoes on and headed out into the brilliant late-evening sunlight. (We know. We’ll never get used to it. It just seems insane to always be in the middle of the day here!)
We walked down along the water. Zebedee did most of the talking.
“I know about your polar bear project,” he told us. “Everybody does. I think it’s great.”
But what had he come to see us about? Hardly to ask what the average weight of a male polar bear was. He would know a million times more about polar bears than we ever will.
“I want to check something out,” he said. “But it’s dangerous to go out onto the ice alone at this time of year. I can borrow my uncle’s snowmobiles, and my mom has her own. If I can put something together, would you two be willing to come along?”
“What for?” Sam asked.
“I want to check out that ship.”
We looked at Zebedee and then at each other. Nothing more needed to be said. Ever since the heli copter sighting and the two dead polar bears, we’d been talking about little else. Not even hockey could distract us. We just knew, deep down, that the ship and the helicopter were connected to the dead bear cub and the tranquillizer darts. But, of course, we could prove nothing.
“Count us in,” Sarah said.
Zebedee nodded matter-of-factly, as if he had known all along we would join him.
“We need three more,” he said. “Four more if my mom agrees to come along. I can drive one of my uncle’s machines, and he has two others we can use. I’d like someone with experience driving on the ice. It can be very dangerous out there. Who would be most experienced of the Owls when it comes to the North and running a snowmobile?”
We both knew at once. “The Highboys,” we said simultaneously. “Jesse and Rachel.”
Zebedee nodded again, almost as if expecting that.“We also need someone who’s small enough to sneak onto the ship, but strong enough to pull himself up or down if he has to.”
Again, we didn’t miss a beat.“Travis.”
“And if my mom comes — one more can go. Maybe someone strong, in case we have to hoist our little spy up.”
There was only one right choice — even if both of us dreaded the thought.
“Nish . . . “” we said.
Zebedee nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
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