Windward Publishing

Storm Codes presents the sights and sounds of Great Lakes shipping in the late 1960s through seven-year-old Katy's story of hope and determination. As a fierce ice storm rips through northern Minnesota, Katy and her mother wait restlessly for her father's ship to return to their harbor in Duluth.

Storm Codes vividly combines historically based illustrations with nautical terms and descriptions. Katy even creates her own secret code to help bring her father home safely.

Visit www.stormcodes.com for more information.

Meet the author and illustrator at a book signing event! Visit www.TracyMaurerWriter.com for a list of scheduled events.

About the Author
Tracy Nelson Maurer grew up near the ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. Her grandfather, the late Captain Harvey C. Almstedt, skippered the steamship Edward B. Greene of the Cleveland-Cliffs’ Great Lakes fleet. His sailing stories inspired this historically based book. Tracy has written many nonfiction children’s books for schools and libraries. She lives near Minneapolis with her husband and two children. To learn more, visit www.TracyMaurerWriter.com.

About the Illustrator
Born overseas to multicultural parents, Christina Rodriguez grew up as an “Air Force brat,” moving from place to place. She always loved to create art and earned her degree in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Christina works as a freelance illustrator and designer. She and her husband live with their dog in Stillwater, Minnesota. To learn more, visit www.ChristinaRodriguez.com.

WDSE-TV and the Venture North program featured Tracy Nelson Maurer in the Northwoods Reader segment. Please click here to watch the video on Christina's Blog Spot.

This book is a 2009 Silver Recipient of the Mom's Choice Awards®. The Mom's Choice Awards is known for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. Please visit www.momschoiceawards.com for more information.

Tracy Maurer has been named a recipient of the Jeanette Fair Award for Storm Codes. This is awarded by the Tau State Communications Committee of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. "Our committee members were impressed by gripping plot with good sound effects as well as the many resources it provides for an elementary social studies unit on shipping on the Great Lakes."

This book has been selected as a an Honorable Mention in Children's Literature for the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards. Visit the www.d.umn.edu/lib/nemba for more information.

This book has been selected as a Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist. Visit the www.forewordmagazine.com for more information.

This book has been selected as a Midwest Booksellers Association Midwest Favorite. Visit the www.midwestbooksellers.com for more information.