
In An Unexpected Adventure, Harley and his friends are looking for thundereggs (the state rock of Oregon) on the coast when they stumble across a large egg. Confiding in their science teacher at school, they agree to hide and protect it … and the dragon that hatches … from a suspicious lurker claiming to be a university professor. In Chasing Helicity, a young girl has always been fascinated by weather. When her hometown in Michigan is torn apart by a tornado, she’s in a unique position to capture the devastation. Her photos bring her to the attention of a storm-chaser who’s willing to become Helicity’s mentor. The Legend of Sam Miracle is a trilogy-starter. Sam is often a little lost in his own head, where memories seem so real, even if the don’t make any sense. But then a strange guy comes to the Arizona farm where he lives with a passel of other fostered boys, threatening to cut out Sam’s heart. A smart story that mingles intensity (heaps of action) with introspection (thoughtful, often lyrical prose), two reasons Wilson is one of my favorite authors.