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WORK TITLE: The High Climber of Dark Water Bay
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Ithaca
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES: Her web page says she lives in Santa Cruz.
PERSONAL
Married; children: one daughter.
EDUCATION:Harvard College, B.A.; Johns Hopkins University, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and novelist.
AWARDS:Pushcart Prize (nomination), 2011.
WRITINGS
Contributor of short stories to periodicals, including the Colorado Review, Montreal Review, and New Delta Review.
SIDELIGHTS
Caroline Arden is a fiction writer whose stories have appeared in literary periodicals. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2011, Arden received a master’s degree in fiction writing. In her debut middle-grade novel, The High Climber of Dark Water Bay, Arden tells the story of twelve-year-old Lizzie, who once lived a comfortable life with her father. However, after the stock market crash of 1929, Lizzie’s father commits suicide. Lizzie’s mother is also dead. As a result, she must move in with her sister, her sister’s husband, and her newborn nephew. However, unlike her father, her new family is not wealthy and are struggling to survive.
With her new family living in poverty, Lizzie is expected to find work to help put food on the table. Lizzie, however, has absolutely no marketable skills. At one point, Lizzie’s sister thinks it may be best for Lizzie if she goes to Seattle to live with an aunt whom Lizzie has never met. Then a letter arrives from her wealthy uncle, who offers Lizzie a job serving as governess over the summer for her two young male cousins. Lizzie cannot refuse the offer, even though she has never spent even one night away from home. The one hundred dollars she will earn will help her family survive during the Great Depression, when money is short for practically everyone.
Desperate, Lizzie takes off alone to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where her uncle has invested in a remote logging camp. Arden herself spent many summers with her grandparents at a former logging camp in British Columbia. When Lizzie finally arrives at the camp with the help of two men driving a truck with the camp’s name on it, she finds that her uncle and his family have gone, leaving Lizzie penniless and stranded. Moreover, Lizzie is in even more trouble than she suspects. The camp’s alcoholic, despicable boss essentially takes Lizzie hostage, planning to seek ransom from her uncle for her return. When he writes to Lizzie’s uncle, he notes how easy it is for accidents to happen in such a dangerous environment.
In the meantime, Lizzie, who could not even cook a meal without burning it, soon realizes that she had better start learning some things if she is to survive. Lizzie soon forms a bond with many of the loggers working at the Dark Water Bay camp. Even though the men are rough, they are basically kind. “I loved the uniqueness of each logger,” wrote a contributor to the Elisha’s Book Reviews website, adding: “I especially loved Red. He was like a father-figure to Lizzie and gave her advice, and helped her overcome her challenges.”
With the help of the loggers at the camp, Lizzie learns various skills, including how to be a high climber, the most dangerous job in logging. When she finally begins high climbing, she shows both her intelligence and bravery as she proves to herself and to everyone at camp what she is capable of doing. Lizzie’s uncle finally sends for her, but Lizzie has become so enamored with her new life at the camp that she is unsure that she really wants to go. She finally does go to visit her uncle but finds herself doubting her previous belief that money brings the good life. Living in a nice house is no longer her dream. As a result, she has an important decision to make.
“Well-drawn characters and pitch-perfect writing elevate this adventure tale to soaring heights,” wrote Mariko Turk in Booklist. MaryAnn Karre, writing in School Library Journal, commended Arden for descriptions of the logging camp and remarked: “Readers of historical fiction will appreciate this likable heroine, the interesting time period, and the unusual setting.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, April 15, 2018, Mariko Turk, review of The High Climber of Dark Water Bay, p. 61.
School Library Journal, March, 2018. MaryAnn Karre, review of The High Climber of Dark Water Bay, p. 97.
ONLINE
Caroline Arden website, http://carolinearden.com (October 13, 2018).
Elisha’s Book Reviews, https://elishasbookreview.wordpress.com/ (April 2, 2018), review of The High Climber of Dark Water Bay.
Caroline Arden
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
Caroline Arden’s stories have appeared in The Colorado Review, The Montreal Review and New Delta Review. She was a finalist for Narrative Magazine's “30 Below” contest and Glimmer Train Stories' “Family Matters” and “New Writers” contests. In 2011 Caroline was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Caroline holds a BA from Harvard College and an MFA in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. As a child Caroline spent her summers at her grandparents' home at a former logging camp in British Columbia. She lives in Ithaca, New York with her husband and daughter.
Caroline Arden holds an MFA in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. As a child she spent her summers at her grandparents' home at a former logging camp in British Columbia. Now she lives in Santa Cruz, California with her husband and daughter.
Represented by Kira Watson at
Emma Sweeney Agency
ARDEN, Caroline. The High Climber of Dark Water Bay
MaryAnn Karre
School Library Journal. 64.3 (Mar. 2018): p97.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
ARDEN, Caroline. The High Climber of Dark Water Bay. 240p. Turner. Jun. 2018. pap. $11.99. ISBN 9781683367796.
Gr 5-8--When her father dies as the result of suicide after the stock market crash of 1929, 12-year-old orphan Lizzie must find work even though she lacks any marketable talents. An invitation to travel alone to her wealthy uncle's logging camp in the Vancouver wilderness, where she will work for the summer as governess for his sons, provides a short-lived solution. When she arrives there, Lizzie finds that her uncle and his family have left and the camp boss, a vile and greedy alcoholic, has devised a plan to hold Lizzie for ransom. With the help of the loggers, Lizzie learns skills she never thought she could and becomes a part of their team. Descriptions of the camp and of the logging procedures are fascinating, though unfamiliar readers might experience some difficulty following along. While the premise is exciting and Lizzie is a brave and resourceful protagonist, the suspense level is relatively low; readers are not likely to truly fear for her safety. VERDICT Readers of historical fiction will appreciate this likable heroine, the interesting time period, and the unusual setting. A commendable secondary purchase--MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Karre, MaryAnn. "ARDEN, Caroline. The High Climber of Dark Water Bay." School Library Journal, Mar. 2018, p. 97. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A529863531/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=dca1a167. Accessed 30 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A529863531
The High Climber of Dark Water Bay
Mariko Turk
Booklist. 114.16 (Apr. 15, 2018): p61.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The High Climber of Dark Water Bay.
By Caroline Arden.
June 2018. 232p. Turner, paper, $11.99 (9781683367796). Gr. 5-8.
Twelve-year-old Lizzie goes from privileged daughter to hostage to high climber in Arden's transporting historical fiction novel. After the 1929 stock market crash and Lizzie's father's subsequent suicide, Lizzie is sent to work as a governess for her uncle's boys at Dark Water Bay, an isolated logging camp in Vancouver, British Columbia. But when she gets there, her uncle is nowhere to be found, and the camp's boss holds Lizzie hostage until her uncle pays a ransom. Despite her precarious circumstances, Lizzie forms friendships with the coarse but kind loggers and eventually performs the camp's most dangerous job: high climber. Arden's descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of Dark Water Bay exquisitely capture the rough beauty of a logging camp surrounded by a vast wilderness. The lyrical writing shines, and yet the danger that Lizzie faces--from nature and from men--is never far from the surface. Well-drawn characters and pitch-perfect writing elevate this adventure tale to soaring heights.--Mariko Turk
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Turk, Mariko. "The High Climber of Dark Water Bay." Booklist, 15 Apr. 2018, p. 61. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A537268223/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=61a514ba. Accessed 30 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A537268223
ARC REVIEW: The High Climber of Dark Water Bay by Caroline Arden
April 2, 2018
51lEOCh7bnL._SX321_BO1,204,203,200_
*Spoilers Ahead*
**Huge thanks to Turner Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this novel early**
***The High Climber of Dark Water Bay by Caroline Arden will be hitting your local bookshelves June 5, 2018, ***
This novel takes place in Seattle in the 1920’s. Times are hard after the war, and it’s no different for twelve-year-old Elizabeth “Lizzie” Parker. Her parents have died and now lives with her sister and her fiance and her newborn nephew.
As Lizzie’s sister’s fiance can’t find a job, Lizzie finds herself on a trip to Dark Water Bay. Her rich uncle has invested in the small logging camp and offered Lizzie to come and tutor her younger cousins for $100. Money that Lizzie’s family desperately needs.
As soon as she reaches Vancouver, things start to go wrong. Her uncle had left the camp months ago, and the owner of the logging camp is not as nice as he seems. How will Lizzie survive in the wilderness with no means to escape?
**Spoilers Ahead**
This book is classified as a book for children in middle school. However, I think it’s for more of the older middle schoolers. There are gambling and a few curse words mentioned in this book. So maybe a PG-13 rating.
I don’t read kids books that often, however, this one did not disappoint. This had me entertained and enthralled throughout. The action was good, and the descriptions of the scenery made me want to take a trip to Dark Water Bay and see the sights for myself.
Lizzie is a very relatable character. She comes from a prim and proper lifestyle and is thrust into a world where sweat and grease are the lifestyles. Seeing her change as the story went on felt practical. She is a dynamic character and changes throughout her adventure.
I loved the uniqueness of each logger. I especially loved Red. He was like a father-figure to Lizzie and gave her advice, and helped her overcome her challenges. All the loggers were more or less caring and supportive towards Lizzie as she discovered her place in the camp.
Overall this was a pretty good book. The characters were realistic and believable. The atmosphere was fantastic. This was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this for upper middle school and above.