2019 Moonbeam Silver Medal Many thousands of years ago, when a sheet of ice up to a mile thick began to let go of the land, the Atlantic Ocean flooded great valleys that had been scooped out by glaciers, and the salty waves of an inland sea lapped the green hills of Vermont. Into this arm of the sea swam Charlotte. Her milky, smooth, muscled body sliced slowly through the water like scissors through silk. Like a chirping canary, her voice echoed across dark waters showing the way to her pod as belugas have done for millions of years. In 1849, a crew building a railroad through Charlotte, Vermont, dug up strange and beautiful bones in a farmer’s field. A local naturalist asked Louis Agassiz to help identify them, and the famous scientist concluded that the bones belonged to a beluga whale. But how could a whale’s skeleton have been buried so far from the ocean? The answer—that Lake Champlain had once been an arm of the sea—encouraged radical new thinking about geological time scales and animal evolution. Charlotte’s Bones is a haunting, science-based reconstruction of how Charlotte died 11,000 years ago in a tidal marsh, how the marsh became a field, how Charlotte found a second life as the Vermont state fossil, and what messages her bones whisper to us now about the fragility of life and our changing Earth.

In 1849, a crew building a railroad through Charlotte, Vermont, dug up strange and beautiful bones in a farmer's field. A local naturalist asked Louis Agassiz to help identify them, and the famous scientist concluded that the bones belonged to a beluga whale. But how could a whale's skeleton have been buried so far from the ocean? The answer--that Lake Champlain had once been an arm of the sea--encouraged radical new thinking about geological time scales and animal evolution. Charlotte's Bonesis a haunting, science-based reconstruction of how Charlotte died 11,000 years ago in a tidal marsh, how the marsh became a field, how Charlotte found a second life as the Vermont state fossil, and what messages her bones whisper to us now about the fragility of life and our changing Earth.

Details geologist Dawson's 1878 exploration of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The editors have extracted comments from his journals on this area and have appended a separate report of Dawson's on the ethnology of the Native people living in the region. Includes 25 photos by Dawson. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This revolutionary synthesis dispels the stereotype of big game hunters following mammoths across the Bering Land Bridge, while painting a vivid picture of marine mammal hunters, fishers, and general foragers colonizing the New World.

In this young adult horror novel, a girl staying on a remote island suspects the tiny Victoria-era dolls in her family’s old mansion are up to murder. When her best friend dies under mysterious circumstances, Sophie sets off to stay with her cousins on the remote Isle of Skye. It’s been years since she last saw them—brooding Cameron with his scarred hand; Piper, who seems too perfect to be real; and peculiar little Lilias with her fear of bones. Still, Sophie never expected the strange new rules the family now lives by: Make no mention of Cameron’s accident. Never leave the front gate unlocked. Above all, don’t speak of the girl who’s no longer there, the sister whose death might have closer ties to Sophie’s past—and more sinister consequences for her future—than she ever knew. A wondrously haunting and modern thriller, Frozen Charlotte drips with mystery and madness, secrets and survival, and the chilling sense that the impossible might be all too real. “Teens looking for a novel to keep them up at night will find it in this one.” —School Library Journal “Gothic ghosts combine with crime for a fast read.” —Kirkus

A mutual love of sailing, fishing and beach combing brought June Cameron and Paul Holsinger together, but it was their shared sense of adventure that took them to the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). In 1983, after three summers of calm sailing together, the couple decided to cross the notoriously dangerous Hecate Strait in Paul's 26-foot wooden sloop Wood Duck. That would have been no problem for the racing sailboats June was used to skippering; it was a major undertaking for a small craft making only four and a half nautical miles per hour and without the assistance of electronic navigational aids. But what the sailors found when they reached the offshore islands was worth the trip. Twenty-five years ago, the Charlottes were not the tourist destination they are today, but they were appealing to sailors for their sheltered waters, pleasant views and protected anchorages. Salmon and prawns abounded, and harvesting abalone was not yet banned. And onshore there was lots to explore. As June and Paul visited uninhabited First Nations villages, a remote logging camp, a defunct whale meat cannery and abandoned gold and copper mines, they were struck by how hard it could be to make a living in the Charlottes. And like the islands' ancient inhabitants, they found themselves challenged to keep warm, find food, stay healthy and just plain survive in this remote and unforgiving place. Whether you're a sailor yourself or an armchair adventurer, June Cameron's writing will carry you away as she recalls a coast that has changed dramatically while conveying the joys of traveling by boat and living off the sea.

Barnum Brown's (1873-1963) parents named him after the circus icon P.T. Barnum, hoping that he would do something extraordinary--and he did! As a paleonotologist for the American Museum of Natural History, he discovered the first documented skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as most of the other dinosaurs on display there today. An appealing and fun picture book biography, with zany and stunning illustrations by Boris Kulikov, BARNUM'S BONES captures the spirit of this remarkable man. Barnum's Bones is one The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012.

Star-crossed lovers grapple with forbidden attraction and a growing army of ghostly dead in this swashbuckling YA fantasy debut. After ten years of exile, following regicide in the House of Tristain, an alarming royal edict is delivered to the immortal scarecrow Guardians who once defended the crown: surrender themselves to the church of the Silent Gods, or stand accused of further treason. But with a puppet prince set to take the throne and vengeful wraiths appearing with alarming frequency, something foul and sinister is at work in the kingdom of Niveaux. Lady Charlotte Sand was born to calm the restless dead. A headstrong heroine, she refuses to relinquish her family’s lavender Guardian to the Cardinal’s Watch—a rash misstep that costs her brother his life and sets her on a path for revenge. For pious and handsome Captain Luc de Montaigne, it’s an excruciating predicament. His long-lost, childhood love has triggered a faction war that could tear the realm asunder. Now Charlotte and Luc must choose between killing one another and stepping closer to victory—or yielding to the electricity between them. Heartily inspired by The Three Musketeers, this multiple-perspective narrative features a unique system of bone and herbal magic, sultry banter, and a feisty cast of well-rounded supporting characters. This rousing first entry in the Waking Hearts fantasy duology is a gorgeous read and an excellent pick for fans of Rin Chupeco and Margaret Rogerson.