The fourth book in the series, Jaspa’s Journey 4: The Hermit of Kennecott, is mainly set in Alaska. It was released in May, during lockdown, which was strangely appropriate since the main storyline is strongly linked to the Spanish Flu, the last pandemic to require worldwide lockdowns.
The story beings with Jaspa and his friends on a cruise ship bound for Seward. Their adventures along the way include bear-watching by seaplane at Ketchikan, glacier hiking by helicopter at Juneau, taking the White Pass and Yukon Route train and cycling the Klondike Highway at Skagway and whale-watching at Icy Strait. But when one of the group comes down with a mysterious illness, this trip of a lifetime unexpectedly becomes a life and death race to find a cure.
From Valdez, their search leads them ever deeper into the Alaskan wilderness, along the McCarthy Road to the long-abandoned ghost towns of McCarthy and Kennecott, and ultimately to the ruins of the Bonanza Mine high above. After an exhausting and hazardous journey, will Jaspa and his companions be able to find the one person who might be able to save their friend?… An elusive creature known simply as the Hermit.
“I was struck by the accuracy of how Alaska’s geography and history in
Neil Darish
McCarthy & Kennicott was utilized to propel the story.”
Each Jaspa’s Journey book is set in a different place, such that prior to Alaska, Jaspa has already had adventures across Africa’s Serengeti Plains, around the streets of London, England, and on the famous Waterloo Battlefield in Belgium. Furthermore, in addition to taking Jaspa – and his readers – to loads of cool places all over the World, the books also tackle subjects such as prejudice, bullying, homesickness, and the value of friends and family.
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Dr Rich Meyrick is a former environmental scientist and the author of a series of middle grade travel adventure novels collectively called Jaspa’s Journey. Thanks to Rich’s background, Jaspa’s Journey is unusual for this age category, since the books combine fiction with fact. In short, most of the main characters are fictitious creatures, but everything else is real.
Each Jaspa’s Journey book is set in a different place, such that prior to Alaska, Jaspa has already had adventures across Africa’s Serengeti Plains, around the streets of London, England, and on the famous Waterloo Battlefield in Belgium. Furthermore, in addition to taking Jaspa – and his readers – to loads of cool places all over the World, the books also tackle subjects such as prejudice, bullying, homesickness, and the value of friends and family.
You can learn more about Jaspa’s Journey at www.JaspasJourney.com