Racing+For+Diamonds

Racing For Diamonds by Anita Daher
Booktalk by Christine MacLennan

Jaz lives with her dad in the North West Territories. She loves living in such an isolated place, with harsh terrain, and not many people, because Jaz loves adventure and the outdoors. Her mom lives in Edmonton and has threatened that Jaz will have to come and live with her if she gets into trouble one more time! Last summer Jaz had two adventures, one involving a grizzly bear and the other a network of caves underneath a mountain. She really had not meant to get so lost! Jaz’s dad manages a winter camp in a small town called Destiny. Jaz loves it, and one of the first things she did was to join the JCR or the Junior Canadian Rangers. The Rangers – (the adult ones, that is), were called to help anyone who got lost in the wilderness. In the Junior Canadian Rangers Jaz was learning survival skills, first aid, and traditional First Nations wisdom from the elders. The best part of being a JCR was a race with a team of dogs on the famous Canon Trails at Normal Wells NWT. Teams from all across the territory competed every year. The prize was fantastic. The top three teams got a trip to Ottawa on Canada Day. Jaz really wanted to win. However there was a problem. She does not get along with Colby. He was her assigned partner in the JCR and they don’t agree on anything! All they did was fight. The JCR leader Mrs. Sugar kept telling them they had to co-operate! Just before the race something very strange happened. Gunther Werner a German immigrant had disappeared. He worked as a diamond polisher at the diamond mine, and also ran a small bakery in his spare time. Jaz really liked him because he was very calm, soft spoken, and always gave her free apple strudel. But, Jaz and Colby are off to Norman Wells to the dog race so she had to put Mr. Werner out of her mind for the time being. Jaz and Colby are racing their dogs on the trail. Jaz saw a hat. She was positive it belonged to Mr. Werner. But that’s impossible because they are many miles away from where they all live. Then disaster strikes. They make a wrong turn on the trail during a snowstorm. Here was what happened.

P. 48 from “farther in she could see To – “Hello Jaz” Gunther said.

Why was Gunther Werner on the trail? Why was he pointing a gun at Jaz and Colby? If Jaz manages to live through this next adventure will her mom make her move to Edmonton?

To find out what happens to Jaz and Colby read Racing for Diamonds by Anita Daher