Inspired by an actual event, CHASING AT THE SURFACE is the story of a young girl’s courage and the healing power of nature.

Winner, 2016 National Outdoor Book Award (Children’s category)

After her mother unexpectedly leaves home, 12-year old Marisa struggles with her feelings of loss and abandonment just as a pod of nineteen orca whales—mothers with their new calves following a run of chum salmon—become trapped in the enclosed inlet near her Northwest home.

Can Marisa find a way to free the whales even if it means facing the secrets in her mother’s past? Her journey brings her to a new understanding of courage, the assaults humans have had on nature, and the complicated meaning of home and family.

2016 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Children’s Book Council

2016 YA Honorable Mention, Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award

“As 12-year old Marisa learns more about whales, she begins to understand the delicate life-and-death balance facing these creatures of the deep. The combination of this understanding, along with the theme of family keeps the story flowing to a climactic end.”  – 2016 National Outdoor Book Award Committee

“Moments close to the orcas are breathtakingly described, accentuating the thrill as the whales breach, sound, and vocalize. A poignant novel that vividly celebrates the interconnected nature of all living creatures. Like the eerily beautiful voices of the orcas in the ocean, this book will haunt readers.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A wonderful book that weaves an exciting and mysterious story about families and whales.” ~Susan Berta, Cofounder, Orca Network