"Bodett, the genial voice in those Motel 6 commercials, offers a page-turner set in the wilds of Alaska, and he clearly knows the taste of sea and storm, the face of the landscape, and the sound of the loons and the scent of salmon. In this sentimental but rousing tale, September Crane, 13, and her 12-year-old brother, Ivan, are often left to themselves while their father fishes for their living. . . . Bodett interweaves the story of the williwaw, a wild storm that took their mother's life and family boat, with a spiraling series of bad choices. . . . Along the way, we learn about boat safety, respect for the sea, and self-sufficiency in a desolate but splendid place. . . . The weather's majesty and power are convincing, and the sister and brother are appealing characters . . . [with] very recognizable adolescent longings." -- Booklist "This gutsy, believable tale will have readers on the edge of their seats."-- Dallas Morning News "Bodett, the genial voice in those Motel 6 commercials, offers a page-turner set in the wilds of Alaska, and he clearly knows the taste of sea and storm, the face of the landscape, and the sound of the loons and the scent of salmon. In this sentimental but rousing tale, September Crane, 13, and her 12-year-old brother, Ivan, are often left to themselves while their father fishes for their living. . . . Bodett interweaves the story of the williwaw, a wild storm that took their mother's life and family boat, with a spiraling series of bad choices. . . . Along the way, we learn about boat safety, respect for the sea, and self-sufficiency in a desolate but splendid place. . . . The weather's majesty and power are convincing, and the sister and brother are appealing characters . . . [with] very recognizable adolescent longings." --"Booklist Ivan and September have two rules to obey while their fisherman father is delayed at sea: stay off the bay and don't hook up their video game to the radio batteries. But when Ivan goes against his father's orders, he breaks the shortwave radios -- the one link to the outside world from their remote Alaskan home. Their only choice is to get the radios fixed before their father finds out. And that means sneaking back and forth across moody Bag Bay in their tiny boat. But autumn is an unpredictable season in Alaska, when clear skies can give way to sudden violent storms. And heading their way is the kind they fear most: a williwaw! Tom Bodett has been the popular spokesperson for Motel 6 for the past 12 years. His voice can also be heard on many programs, including the PBS/Travel Channel coproduction Travels on America's Historic Trails with Tom Bodett , recipient of three Emmy nominations. He has also written several books and recorded 15 audio publications. Chapter 7 The morning fog was dense. So dense it felt almost heavy on Ivan's and September's heads as they made their careful way across the cove in the Aunt Nelda . Their world was cloaked so completely they hadn't been able to see the cabin from their own dock, and they'd lost sight of that too as soon as they'd shoved off. The stillness bordered on deadness--black water as shiny as a waxed table and no sound but the dull rattle of the oarlocks. They knew Mooseburger's cabin was due west of theirs and the butter clam bed a little south of that. September sat in the stern holding a hand compass between them so that Ivan could watch their bearing as he rowed the short way over. "I've never seen it this thick," he said, staring into a mist so formless that his eyes could find no focus. September blinked away the same effect. "Me either. Everything seems so different--like we're not even real." She checked their heading again and was about to suggest a correction when the dory nudged quietly onto a soft bottom and swung to a stop. "Weird," she said, and stepped over the side into a few inches of water. Paying careful attention to the depth of the water as she circled the boat, September came to the conclusion that they were not on a bar but on Mooseburger's mud flat--exactly where they wanted to be. "Let's go find Dad's butter clams." Ivan climbed out with a bucket. He uncoiled the bowline and then followed September slowly into the murk. After only a few steps they found dry ground and the welcome sight of clams spitting all around their feet. "Good navigating," Ivan said. "Hard to get lost in Steamer Cove." September smiled and leaned into the familiar smells and motions. The scrape of their rakes and the clatter of clams hitting the empty bucket seemed a grating intrusion in the quiet mist. September felt self-conscious about it, knowing Mr. Berger was not far off. "Did you hear something, Ivan?" she asked. Ivan stopped and listened. "No--wait--could it be? Yes...the sound of a video game. A video game in my future..." A grin stretched his face, and he cupped a hand around one ear. "Hello? Tech Patrol?" September wasn't amused. "Ivan, you have got a one-track mind. It was your game