"In first novelist Hokenson's remarkable story of ingenuity and courage, 17-year-old Willa survives more than two weeks in the wintry wilderness of Ontario after crashlanding her uncle's plane. Willa may be a dreamer, independent and a little "weird," but she's had a pilot's license for three years, thanks to her uncle Jordy. . . . The morning that Jordy had planned to take the ski plane to pick up Willa's mother, the teen discovers Jordy passed out, and Willa decides to fly alone. When she stops to refuel, Willa learns of a front fast approaching, but forges ahead anyway, resulting in a crash landing near a frozen lake. The bulk of Willa's story languidly and vividly details her thoughts and actions as she sets about making her own snowshoes, fish traps, shovel, snow caves and toboggan for her survival-and her journey toward the winter road that will take her home. While this novel will remind readers of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet , it is a welcome survival tale with a young woman as the sympathetic, brave and resourceful protagonist." --Publishers Weekly - May 29, 2006

"How Willa survives will immediately engage any young adult, male or female, especially those with a fondness for the great outdoors. Readers will cheer her on in all her spirited ingenuity and will to survive. Educators will appreciate the non-stereotypical teenage female character . . ." --Kirkus Reviews, May 1

"In a tale of winter survival reminiscent of Hatchet, Hokenson weaves a tale of the Canadian northland in short, almost clipped prose. . . . I liked the book because it was very realistic, and very hard to put down. The dangers that presented themselves to Willa were varied without being contrived, and her creative responses were clever without being omniscient." --Dylan Skerbitz, age 15, Special to The Daily Planet, Minneapolis-St. Paul

"I read The Winter Road and like it a lot. This is sure a book I'd like to give to a kid, either gender. I enjoyed the story and felt confidence in you as the storyteller. Most of all, I believe in Willa. She's a believable bush kid, and you do such a nice job of keeping focus on the problem, letting her figure things out a bit at a time." --Judith Niemi, St. Paul, Minn., founder of Women in the Wilderness and winner of the Ann Bancroft Award.

"Even though this is essentially a gripping survival story, it is also a well-written, thoughtful book about a girl's desperate efforts to gain her father's approval." --School Library Journal - May 2006

"The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson is my latest read. This is the survival story of a troubled girl named Willa who is in her late teens. She takes her uncle's plane without permission but with good intentions and ends up crashing in the Arctic. This is a story of survival and self-discovery. This book had a truth to it and I almost felt as if I were reading a non-fiction account. After awhile [my husband] came looking for me because I was so engrossed with the book that I had forgotten lunch. I was riveted and couldn't put this one down. This book would make an excellent and inspiring gift for a young adult." --Editor, www.outdooradventurecanada.com - June 2006 [See original review--PDF 97kB.]

"[T]he mortal challenges Willa faces make for a gripping narrative, one sharpened by visceral details: the slushy snot after a despairing sob, the cold so frigid that "inhaling air . . . was like trying to breathe ammonia." This promising debut, which will help introduce gender balance into the survival-adventure genre, will appeal most to older middle-graders and younger YAs who were riveted by Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (1987)." --Jennifer Mattson, ALA Booklist, June 2006

"Terry Hokenson's The Winter Road tells of a teen struggling with the death of her brother and adults who neglect her for their own mourning. When her uncle's drinking threatens the delivery of important cargo, she undertakes to fly his cold Canadian route solo, crashes, and finds herself struggling for her own survival. A fine tale of nature, love, and honor evolves." --Midwest Book Review / Children's Bookwatch, June 2006

"Armed only with her uncle's minimalist survival kit, Willa's endurance and ingenuity are tested many times. . . . [The book's] rugged landscape and likeable protagonist will hold the interest of young adults, stoking dreams of wilderness adventures in which they too can persevere."--ForeWord, September-October 2006

"Hokenson deftly takes the reader with Willa into the cold, the fear, and her dreams as she survives, crisis by crisis. Her brother's remembered courage fuels her own, and Willa's journey of survival in the Canadian winter becomes a journey to confidence in her own ability and worth."--SIGNAL Journal, Spring 2006.

• See feature article about the origins of The Winter Road in the premiere issue of CitySouth magazine, distributed in south Minneapolis, May 2006. [338k PDF]

• See review by Mary Ann Grossmann in the May 28, 2006 issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Sunday Life section, page 31E. [324k PDF] "A nail-biter . . . a heart-stopping journey."

• See review in The Canadian Friend (Quaker publication). [356k PDF]