On rare occasions, a writer makes a first appearance on the literature scene and the reader feels the excitement of meeting a new friend. In her debut novel, The Ecowarriors, Sandra Dreis creates young characters with voices that ring true and a story that is perfectly timed to entertain. Setting the fantasy against the background of the all-too-real problem of fracking is nothing short of brilliant. Leigh Somerville, Author, It All Started with a Dog (trilogy, Second Wind Publishing) Davie Wyatt, born into a family of scientists, is forced to imagine a world without Wisconsin. Uncontrolled sand mining is taking over the state, threatening to destroy the lands natural beauty. Two badgers, leaders of a royal underground dynasty, choose Davie and his buddiesCarl, Sharon, and Melissafor a vital mission. With the powers given to them by the badgers, the four youths must defeat an evil force that will rise from Devils Lake on the eve of the Winter Solstice . Suddenly, vacation plans morph from the ordinary to the fantastic as the four experience a daring cross-country ski excursion, uncover clues from petroglyphs on a cave exploration, and survive a bizarre ice-fishing adventure. Will they be able to put these clues together in time? In the background, Grandpa John, a retired geologist, and his old friend, Avery, an Ojibwa storyteller, play important roles. As the young eco-warriors find themselves with the ability to fly, they face the enemy at Devils Doorway, a landmark rock formation high up on the dangerous cliffs over the lake. Battling the forces of a giant sand monster, the teenagers will discover the truths that lienot only below the surface of the Devils Lakebut within themselves.