1: DARK WATERS
He survived a terrifying crocodile attack off Australia's Queensland coast, blood poisoning in the middle of the Pacific, malaria in Indonesia and China, and acute mountain sickness in the Himalayas. He was hit by a car and left for dead with two broken legs in Colorado, and incarcerated for espionage on the Sudan-Egypt border.
The first in a thrilling adventure trilogy, Dark Waters charts one of the longest, most gruelling, yet uplifting and at times irreverently funny journeys in history, circling the world using just the power of the human body, hailed by the London Sunday Times as "The last great first for circumnavigation".
But it was more than just a physical challenge. Prompted by what scientists have dubbed the perfect storm as the global population soars to 8.3 billion by 2030, adventurer Jason Lewis used the expedition to reach out to thousands of schoolchildren, calling attention to our interconnectedness and shared responsibility of an inhabitable Earth for future generations.
Books
THE EXPEDITION
True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth
Chronicles Jason Lewis' epic adventure/travel narrative in three parts. Available US & Canada August 1, 2012; UK & rest of the world April 4, 2013.
When adventurer Jason Lewis regained consciousness beside a busy Colorado highway, lower limbs shattered by a hit and run driver, he knew he was lucky to be alive. But would he ever walk again, let alone finish crossing North America by inline skates?
So begins part two of The Expedition, a stirring saga of hope, determination, and the kindness of strangers as Jason, taken in by the people of Pueblo, spent nine months in rehabilitation, legs pieced together with metal rods, before returning to the spot he was run over and continuing on.
Inspired by the journey, others sought to join, including a middle-aged mother-cum-schoolteacher yearning to see the world. For the expedition wasn’t just a line on a map. The real expedition was the seed buried deep in the heart of anyone who has ever dreamed of knowing what lies beyond their valley, and of embarking upon a grand adventure to find out…
2: THE SEED BURIED DEEP
1: DARK WATERS (Adapted for Young Adults)
We rejoin The Expedition for its third and final instalment with Jason, now seasoned explorer, and April, American schoolteacher at sea for the first time, battling to keep their tiny pedal-powered boat Moksha from being dashed against Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Crossing the infamous Coral Sea they’ve endured towering waves, gale-force winds, and rogue currents pushing them off course for days at a time. On her thirtieth consecutive day of seasickness and now haemorrhaging blood, April is in urgent need of medical treatment. But in the uncharted waters north of Cape Flattery, far from coastguard assistance, what hope is there?
Even if they survive, Jason faces untold hazards to complete the first journey around the world using only human power. Waterless deserts. Staggering mountains. Seaborne pirates. Extremist hotspots. And there is still the burning question he set himself at the beginning, the one driving him forward over the years that will take him to the brink for the answer…
The inspiring true story of a stray Pit Bull Terrier impounded and euthanized by animal control, and her miraculous survival. Lazarus has become an ambassador for death row animals everywhere, winning the hearts of everyone she meets.
Visiting schools and nursing homes, she spreads her own special brand of contagious joy, effortlessly embodying the character traits we all strive to master. This book is a touching reminder of how life should never be taken for granted.
THE WISDOM OF LAZ
Life Lessons from the Dog Who Came Back from the Dead
3: TO THE BRINK
Late in the afternoon of May 13, 2005, a lone kayaker paddled into a remote bay in northeast Australia. He was exhausted, sunburnt, and looking forward to reaching land after months at sea. But his voyage across the Pacific wasn’t over yet. Shortly after making landfall he would be fighting for his life, defending himself and his kayak from a terrifying crocodile attack.
So begins the first in a thrilling adventure trilogy relating Jason Lewis’ Guinness World Record-setting journey around the world using only human power—no motors or sails. The young adventurer had already nearly drowned pedalling across the Atlantic, been left for dead by a hit-and-run driver while rollerblading the US, and survived blood poisoning in the doldrums. Now five years since leaving his home in England, Jason seriously wondered whether he had it in him to carry on.
As a shy, misfit teenager, he had defied authority. By the time he left school, Jason knew he wanted to make a difference by helping raise awareness of environmental issues. And what better way to do this than to join his best friend Stevie on a global circumnavigation without using fossil fuels?
This was the motivation driving him forward against all odds, proving that anyone, even without experience or money, can achieve anything they want to, if they just believe in themselves and never give up.
Where’s Winter tells the story of Bear, who wakes up from hibernation, only to find that winter never came. The air is warm, but unlike in spring there are no blooming flowers, no honeybees making honey, and no berries or nuts to eat.
Where’s Winter asks children what they can do to help Bear and our planet by making personal changes to help stop global warming.
A fun, inspiring book for ages six to ten (US grades 1-4).
WHERE'S WINTER by ERIN ROUNDS
