In a world without trees, three friends must band together to survive two kidnappings, escape forced labor at a brutal mining camp, and search for a rumored forest to find sanctuary. Abandoned, betrayed, or hunted by every adult in their life, twelve-year-old Ellis and her friends overcame multiple dangerous ordeals by summoning their resiliency and by looking after each other. An adventurous, harrowing fantasy novel about the ancient power of nature and the deep roots of community. Aimed at older middle grade, perfect for nature lovers and tree huggers (literal or metaphorical), with series potential. Alison Hughes was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Awards for her YA novel Hit the Ground Running. She won Alberta's R. Ross Annett Children's Literature Award for her MG novel The Silence Slips In . Her books have been nominated 14 times for children's choice awards including the Silver Birch, and have been Junior Library Guild and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selection.
Her books have been translated into Korean, Dutch, Turkish, Bahasa Indonesian, and French.