Close to the Heel is the story of Rennie, a teenager who has recently lost his mother but discovered a long lost grandfather he didn't know he had. When his grandfather dies he leaves behind a final request for each of his seven grandsons. Rennie's is requested to take a journal to Iceland. Rennie is ready for an adventure and to his escape his tough military father. In Iceland he discovers he's a pretty tough guy as well.
This past Monday I attended an event at a high school in Guelph where I got to meet all 7 authors of the Seven series. I was quite excited and brought my oldest son with me. It was great to see how many young readers turned up on a cold Monday night to hear them speak. The authors all spent a great deal of time speaking with everyone individually. Many authographs were given. It was a great night. I loved seeing how excited the students were.
There will be a sequel to Close to the Heel published October 1st, 2014.
David McLean is a recently deceased grandfather of seven grandsons. At the reading of his will it is discovered that David has requested that each grandson complete a task on his behalf. The tasks are bucket list items from his life that he did not get around to completing. There are seven books in the series, with each book following an individual grandson completing their task. Each task is completed independently, although the grandsons' have contact with each other throughout the stories. The books are each written by a different author which really gives each grandson their own voice and style. The series of books can be read in any order, although beginning with Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters and ending with The Last Message by Shane Peacock might be preferred. Seven the Series provides many lessons in history, geography and life that come across in a way that isn't preaching or obvious. Inquisitive readers may find themselves reaching to the non-fiction section to inquire further on subjects such as Mount Kilimanjaro, the Spanish Civil War and more. Between Heaven and Earth, Devil's Pass by Sigmund Brouwer and Jump Cut by Ted Staunton are nominees for this year's Red Maple category in the Forest of Reading. The series also includes Lost Cause by John Wilson, Ink Me by Richard Scrimger, Close to the Heel by Norah McClintock and Last Message by Shane Peacock. A visit to http://orcabook.com/seventheseries tells readers that there will be seven sequels published later this fall. With the same collection of authors, it's safe to say the sequels will be a captivating read as well.