Diamond Willow Nominee

Trouble On Tarragon Island

By Nikki Tate.

Sono Nis Press, 2005.
ISBN 9781550391541

Currently2.87557603687/5 Stars
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Heather Blake and her family live on Tarragon Island off the coast of British Columbia, where the main employer is a large international forestry company. When the company begins to harvest a stand of old-growth forest, Heather's grandmother joins a local protest group planning to save the woods. The group produces a calendar with pictures of their members, including Heather's grandmother, posing naked in the forest. This embarrasses Heather. Heather uses her talents as a writer to submit editorials critical of the protesters to the student newspaper. The tensions in Heather's family and in the community build as the protesters are arrested and jailed for their actions. Heather is drawn into the events and forced to look closely at both sides of the issue.

About the Author

Born in England, Nikki Tate travelled the world before settling down on a tiny farm on Vancouver Island. Horses, goats, birds, cats, dogs, and koi keep her busy when she isn't dreaming up ideas for new books. Active as a literacy advocate, Tate chairs the Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable, the Vancouver Island Council of the International Reading Association, regularly reviews children's books, and speaks to parents and educators about reading, writing, and literacy at venues all over North America. Tate also works as a professional storyteller, retelling the stories of King Arthur's court and is a popular writing workshop leader for both adults and children.

Book Reviews

CM Magazine

Suggested Activities

Find out more about temperate rain forests. Do one of the following - Write a newspaper article, draw a picture, write a story, or write a poem about the complex ecosystems that exist in this environment. (Example - you could write a story about an animal that makes his home in this forest.)
Do a Literacy Project at your school. Collect gently used books and sell them to send money to Africa, Afghanistan or other poor country. You could also donate the books to local charities or food banks for distribution locally.
What causes are you passionate about? What are your classmates passionate about? Do a quick survey of your classmates. Find a cause you all agree on. Then do a letter writing campaign to those in power who could make a difference. (Example - Global warming - write letters to our Prime Minister telling him why we must put more money towards this problem).
What are logging companies doing to avoid the clear cutting practices of the past? We have logging companies in Saskatchewan. Go to Weyerhaeuser to research what their policies are, or ask a representative of a logging company to speak to your class.

The 2007 Willow Awards