The Austins have settled back into their beloved home in the country after more than a year away. Though they had all missed the predictability and security of life in Thornhill, Vicky Austin is discovering that slipping back into her old life isn't easy. She's been changed by life in New York City and her travels around the country while her old friends seem to have stayed the same. So Vicky finds herself spending time with a new friend, Serena Eddington--the great-aunt of a boy Vicky met over the summer.

Aunt Serena gives Vicky an incredible birthday gift--a month-long trip to Antarctica. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. But Vicky is nervous. She's never been away from her family before. Once she sets off though, she finds that's the least of her worries. She receives threatening letters. She's surrounded by suspicious characters. Vicky no longer knows who to trust. And she may not make it home alive.

Funny, I thought I really enjoyed this as a teen but found it incredibly flat now. Maybe it was some other book I was thinking of. ( )

As Vicky gets caught up in a mystery involving drugs, she discovers that life is fragile.

I wanted to love this book and I did enjoy it but it was not one of my favorites. I think I wanted there to be more of Vicky and Adam which there was not enough of in my opinion. But the story was a new and interesting tale. ( )

L'Engle returns to the world of international intrigue and Cold War fears in a way that recalls the best of the O'Keefe family stories but has the best of her later characters: Vicky and Adam. Bonus: NO ZACHARY! It's a win for all, minus the fact that a lot of guys still make eyes at Vicky. I think that's kind of a weakness of L'Engles--her average female protagonists get an awful lot of play, and it's kinda suspicious.

That said, we get to meet a LOT of penguins, which I am perfectly okay with. And the time travels back and forth to ratchet up the suspense. I enjoyed the mystery and the ecological aspects of it. 4.5 stars. ( )