Although many have written of Major Powell's 1869 exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers, few put the reader in the boats, on the water, in the squalid camps. In The River Is Mine Ardian Gill comes closer than any before to portraying who Powell and his men really were, and what was going on day by day, hour by hour as difficulties mounted, rations diminished, and tempers wore razor-thin. A valuable contribution to river lore, and a great read regardless.
—Brad Dimock, Author of Sunk Without a Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde


Ardian Gill's new novel The River is Mine tells the story of John Wesley Powell's 1869 exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers and the Grand Canyon. It is the adventure of ten men shooting rapids and painstakingly carrying and lining heavy wooden boats through cascades, cataracts and waterfalls. The action is breathtaking and invigorating, the story straight-forward and clearly told. Written as a fictional expansion of the actual diary of one member of the expedition, the action is always front and center, but enriched by the interplay among the men, who include journalists, farmers, trappers, and Civil War veterans. Most intriguing, perhaps, is the narrator's changing view of the head of the expedition — the brilliant, narrow-visioned, intrepid, one-armed Major Powell. Read this novel for the adventure, for the character studies, and for the satisfaction of how ordinary men can uplift us by their determination and physical courage.
—Meredith Sue Willis, Author of In the Mountains of America and Deep Revision


When twin moose brothers set out to explore the world, they never thought they would end up being separated. Alfonse and Abercrombie get split up when Abercrombie is taken by two men to the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Alfonse escapes but falls into trouble as he goes under the ice of a frozen lake and he turns blue from the cold. But some unlikely friends, a little yellow bird and some wise advise from an owl he, gets out of the ice and goes to find his brother. The only help he now has is the North Star. He finds his brother but his brother doesn't want to leave the zoo. He likes it there. This shows that you can still love each other and be close even is you choose different ways of living. This is a fun read and it shows how inventive the brother was with his antlers. Will Alfonse decide to stay with his brother at the zoo or just visit when he can? This is a charming little story about brothers. You could easily place yourself in like situations and decide what you would do. Children and adults alike will love this little book with some wise lessons to be learned. Using animals is a good way to attract and keep a child's attention.
—Gayle Pace