About the Author

Robin Cody is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, and a winner of the Western Writers of America Silver Spur Award for short nonfiction. In 1995, he won the Oregon Book Award for Voyage of a Summer Sun, an account of his canoe trip from the headwaters of the Columbia to its mouth at the Pacific. Ricochet River is his best known and best loved book and he has worked tirelessly since its publication to ensure it reaches the audience of young readers it deserves. A teacher himself for over a decade, Robin has deep roots in schools around Portland and is excited by the opportunity to bring Ricochet River to a wider audience. He lives in Portland with his wife, Donna, and when the weather cooperates, can usually be found floating leisurely down the Columbia.

Reviews

A touching exploration of friendship... The author has a naturalist's feel for the Pacific Northwest, evident in his majestic descriptions.

I like the differences between Ricochet River and A Separate Peace or A Catcher in the Rye. Those other two books are about upper-class white boys in private schools cut off from the land. Because of that they are less important to my students these days. Wade, Lorna, and Jesse share with us their small town, working class lives. The magic of Ricochet River is the story. That it's a book English teachers appreciate reflects Robin Cody's craftsmanship; that students love the book is a gift of the storyteller.--Tom Abbey "Teacher, Calistoga (CA) High School"

I love Robin's work and life.--David James Duncan "Author of The Brothers K and The River Why"

Jesse Howl, the spiritual center Robin Cody's first novel, is sweetly na�ve and generally full of beans, much like the trickster Coyote of Indian mythology.

Mr. Cody sets the crucial scenes out of doors, and much of the book's rich imagery springs from this very particular terrain. In captivating prose, Mr. Cody tells a story of unusual wisdom and grace.

The world of Ricochet River is the world I grew up in. I know it well.... If only I had met [Lorna] when I was growing up, she might have helped me figure it all out.--Molly Gloss "Author of The Jump-Off Creek and The Hearts of Horses"

There are so many literary devices in Ricochet River students can appreciate. But what's really good is they can relate what's happening in the book to what's happening now in their lives.--Alan Howard "Past President, Oregon Council of Teachers of English"