Willa has grown up with just her dad and twin brothers in the Alaskan wilderness since her mother died from cancer.  Her father took them from Seattle to live in a log cabin they built. They take care of all their needs by living off the land. Things started out okay during the building years. Dad had stopped drinking, but he has again. It’s almost winter, the summer crops were poor, and the game has been hard to find. At 12 Willa knows that she must take her brothers and bring them to the Fort Yukon settlement down river. Dad has left and hidden the paddles to the rowboat. The kids gab a raft they made and start the journey. Willa thinks she may have cancer like her mom because she is bleeding down there. The trip is dangerous and one of the twins befriended a wolf cub and he sneaks him in his backpack. The ice may freeze up at anytime, snows come, food is scarce, and the raft starts to fall apart.

This book is good for upper middle school and older.

Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick GNGMS Gray