Cathy Carr

Eleven-year-old Rigel Harman loves her life in off-the-grid Alaska. She hunts rabbits, takes correspondence classes, and doesn't mind not having electricity or running water. When her parents divorce, Rigel and her sisters have to move with their mom to the Connecticut suburbs to live with a grandmother they have never met. It is noisy, and crowded, and there is no real nature. Her only hope is a secret pact that she made with her father: If she can...

The phrase "answering the call" can be, interpreted in many different ways-answering the call of duty, answering the call on a phone, or answering the call that comes with the responsibility of being a parent or, in this case, a father. As a father, I never wanted to experience the emotions of shock, confusion, and grief that cascaded into total devastation. But, that's exactly what happened the day I answered that call. When life ends prematurely,...