William Durbin lives in Duluth and on Lake Vermilion at the edge of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Wilderness. A winner of the Great Lakes Book Award and a two-time winner of the Minnesota Book award, he has published short stories, essays, and poetry, as well as fifteen novels for young readers, including The Broken Blade, Wintering, Blackwater Ben, The Darkest Evening, Red Ore Rising, El Lector, The Hidden Room, and Bubble Sheet Blues, his first ever contemporary story. For more information visit his website at williamdurbin.com.Durbin's other honors include a Junior Library Guild Selection, Bank Street College Children's Book of Year list, the ALA's Amelia Bloomer list, New York Library Books for the Teen Age list, Maud Hart Lovelace nomination, Jefferson Cup Series of Note Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award, America's Award commended title, Book Sense Summer Pick, Boy's Life magazine serialization, St. Petersburg Times serialization, nominations for numerous state awards lists, and starred reviews in the major journals."William Durbin's attention to detail-both historical and fictional-make him one of today's masters of historical YA fiction." -- David Gill of the NCTE