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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Summer reading opens doors to adventure

Parry

Author Rosanne Parry is sending families on a treasure hunt.

She’ll be at Auntie’s Bookstore on Saturday with her most recent book, “The Turn of the Tide,” to help kick off the store’s summer reading program.

The book, set in Astoria, Oregon, is the story of two cousins. Jet wants to be a boat pilot like her dad. Kai lives in Japan and has come to the U.S. for the summer after a tsunami hit his town.

They both have a chip on their shoulder over mistakes they’ve made, Parry said, and set out to redeem themselves by winning a geocaching-based sailboat race.

So Saturday, Parry will send families out on a geocaching adventure. There will three waypoints set up downtown near the store, and families can use the Geocaching app to find them. The top 10 finishers will win prizes.

Parry is a former teacher – she earned her degree at Gonzaga University – who lives in Portland.

She said she loves writing for kids. “They’re such passionate readers.”

And it’s the time period from when children first start to read independently until high school when you have to hook them on reading, Parry said.

“Lifelong readers are won in grade school,” she said.

Parry tackles a range of topics in her books for middle readers, including the Iraq War and the Cold War. She sees stories as a way to help children connect with facts.

“They’re very interested in the wide world. Kids are curious about everything,” she said.

Jet and Kai’s story came from a variety of inspirations. Among them: the 2011 tsunami and its aftermath, and hearing Capt. Deborah Dempsey speak about piloting the Columbia Bar. Dempsey was the first woman to navigate the bar, considered among the most dangerous waters in the Pacific Ocean.

Dempsey was fascinating, Parry said. She thought to herself, “Wow, if I was 12, I would want to be her.”

She also thought it was important to write about an ambitious girl, she said.

“I think the world is not always a kind place for girls with big ambitions.”

Kimberly Lusk