REVIEW: The Starlight Claim

The Starlight Claim
Author: Tim Wynne-Jones

Nate is still reeling from his best friend's disappearance four months before. Dodge is presumed dead in a boating accident, but the body was never found. Nate has nightmares where Dodge is floating under the ice in the frigid water of Ghost Lake begging him to come save him, find him, help him.....  Nate has plans to travel to the remote campsite with a friend. They have proved they can make the journey by themselves. His own father, Burl Crow, made sure Nate has the skills to make the trip. At the last minute, Nate's friend can't go. Nate decides to go alone. He wants to search for Dodge. Maybe he can find him even though others failed. But when he arrives he finds the camp occupied by strange men....violent men....and it becomes a much more dangerous game of survival than Nate ever expected.

I think everyone has an experience as a young person that pushes them over the edge towards adulthood. For Nate, this trip up to his family's remote campsite by himself is just that sort of experience. He learns life lessons and truths about his life, his friend, and even strangers on his journey. We are all the sum of our choices....and Nate has a lot to discover about himself, his parents, and his feelings of guilt about his friend's death.

The story is well-written and engrossing. There's action, suspense, and emotion in this story. It definitely kept my attention from start to finish. Nate's journey is more than a physical one. This is such an action-filled, complex story about a young boy facing loss and harsh truths for the first time. Loved it!

Tim Wynne-Jones has written several books for young adults and children. I definitely want to read more!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**