This exciting series of beginning chapter books follows the energetic and curious Sam on his adventures in beautiful Seldovia, Alaska, where he lives with his parents and dog, Neptune. Humor, family relationships, survival, natural history, and geography are all part of Sam's ""misadventures."" A map and author's note portray the real Seldovia while lively illustrations help readers to visualize characters and place. A great choice for avid and reluctant readers! In this new adventure, Sam discovers and reports a wildfire that is dangerously close to the isolated community of Seldovia. When the townspeople gather to be evacuated onto fishing boats, Sam realizes his friend's family hasn't made it to the docks and heads out to find them! Heroic Sam and Neptune escort the family and rescue their litter of kittens. Included is natural history information about the spruce bark beetle life cycle and wildfires-the dangers as well as the benefits to the forest and wildlife.
About the Author:

Susan Springer grew up in a fishing village on the coast of Maine. She attended college in Maine and Vermont, and worked in Utah and Maine before moving to Alaska in 1985 where she developed the series, The Misadventures of Seldovia Sam.

Her previous publications include "Seldovia, Alaska: An Historical Portrait of Life in Herring Bay" (Blue Willow, Ind. 1997). And an environmental education color book commission in 1995 by Alyeska Pipeline Co. Her text and interactive pen pal program featuring Alaska schools, titled "Alaska...Pure Poetry, "is part of Alyeska's environmental education program and was selected by the Smithsonian Museum gift shop to complement the Alaska Pipeline exhibit. A portion of the author's proceeds from The Misadventures of Seldovia Sam have been earmarked for the Alaska Children's Trust.

Susan Springer, an artist and writer currently lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Amy Meissner completed her undergraduate degrees in art and textiles in Nevada and spent several years as a clothing designer in the United States and Canada. Amy received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage, while focusing on her artwork in her spare time. Besides her existing illustrations in the expanding series entitled, The Misadventures of Seldovia Sam, she has illustrated three other children's books.

Amy Meissner currently lives and works in Anchorage, Alaska. Her two, bad orange cats keep her company in the studio all day long where she paints, draws, writes, cuts fabric, and moves cats off the things they aren't supposed to sleep on.