(MG/YA) Crater Lake Blog Tour & GIVEAWAY!

(Amazon link)

     Steve Westover is the author of the 2010 adult thriller, Defensive Tactics. Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island, first in a trilogy, is his YA debut coming out March 13, 2012. Because the protagonist is 13 it could be considered a middle-grade story, but sometimes that line is tricky to hammer down. Middle-grade age kids (9-12) will definitely enjoy this book as well as teen readers.
     Mystery? Check. Suspense? Check. Annoying little sister? Check. And Native American (or is it American Indian now?) mythology and history? Yep, that too.
     Anciently, the Klamath tribe witnessed what was once a great mountain collapse in on itself, creating what we now know as Crater Lake. The mountain was named Mt. Mazama by a climbing club just before the turn of the 20th century when they discovered its lost peak. The name means "mountain goat" in one of the Native American languages, a totally lame meaning considering the legends surrounding the place.
     The mountain was once the home of the Klamath's god of the underworld, Llao. The legend is incredibly interesting containing spurned love, intense battles, loyalty, and a head that becomes an island. Wizard Island. Whose head is it, you ask? Why, it's Llao's head. The god of the sky cut it off. Interesting enough for you? Then read Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island.

(From Goodreads)
     While visiting his crazy Uncle Bart at Crater Lake National Park, thirteen-year-old Ethan's world collapses when all the adults at Crater Lake disappear, including his parents. Now Ethan must rally his new friends and decipher the legends of Crater Lake to find the key to rescuing his parents from their earthen prison before he's captured too and their captivity becomes permanent.

For more information about Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, click here & here.

For a more detailed story of the Klamath legend, click here & here.

You've got two chances to win a copy of Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island:

* Click here to enter the Goodreads giveaway for a physical copy of the book!

* For a chance to win an eCopy, comment on this post by 11:59 pm MST on 2/25 telling me a scenic place you'd like to visit. Be sure to include your email address!

(To visit the other stops on the tour, click on the tour banner at the top of this post.)