Forest Books: Geraldine McCaughrean White Darkness The

Captain Titus Oates, hero of the Antarctic, has been dead for nearly a century. But not in Sym's head. In there, he is her constant companion, her soulmate, her adviser. It is as if he walked out of the Polar blizzard and into her mind. In fact, if it were not for Titus, life might be as bleak a place as the Antarctic wilderness. When she is taken on a mystery expedition by her eccentric uncle Victor, Sym can't believe her luck. Destination Antarctica-the very place she's always wanted to visit. But Victor has other plans, more sinister than Sym could possibly imagine. Stranded in the most isolated part of the world with her trust in someone she comes to realize is a madman, she must find a way to avoid a gruesome fate. But what should a teenage girl do? Could it be that Titus, the one who perished in that very place, will be the means of her survival?

• An original and incredibly compelling novel from one of the finest children's writers writing today
• A departure for Geraldine McCaughrean-a new, contemporary teenage voice
• Taps into the current popularity of all things to do with exploration and with the Antarctic
• Fast-moving, accessible read
• Shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book Award 2005
• From an award-winning author whose profile will be further increased by the massive publicity in October 2006 at the publication of Peter Pan in Scarlet, the official sequel to Peter Pan