Oliver returns! The character we came to love in "Oliver's Surprise" finds himself on Cape Cod aboard his grandfather's boat, the beloved "Surprise" as a major hurricane threatens to make landfall. In 1954, Hurricane Carol's wrath was felt from the Carolinas to Maine, and in Boston, she blew down the spire of the historic Old North Church. Her destruction was so complete that the name will never again be used; Carol was the first Atlantic hurricane name in history to be retired. Once again, young readers see New England coastal history through the eyes of our intrepid Oliver, now a seasoned time traveler. As Carol starts to bear down on the sandy coastline, Oliver must face his own fears and uncertainties while contending with a renegade aunt and another time traveler who refuses to let go of modern niceties.

Longing to feel closer to his favorite grandfather, Oliver skips school on a sparkling September afternoon and hides out on a tired schooner. When he wakes up on the ways of his grandfather's boatyard and realizes he's been transported back to 1938, he must decide what to do before the dangerous hurricane he'd been studying in school hits. While the main character is a 12 year old boy, Oliver's story, and the story of a powerful weather event that still reverberates along the east coast, is more than appropriate for an adult audience. Written by an Olympic medalist on the 2004 USA sailing team, this charming story includes 8 original illustrations, a glossary of nautical terms and a short history of the Great Hurricane of 1938 that devastated the eastern seaboard. September 2008 marks the 70th anniversary of the storm.