Akron Public Library

Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever, has landed in Viking age Iceland, where he meets a girl named Helga, who seems perfectly able to take care of herself--until an erupting volcano and an early arriving baby forces Ranger and Helga to journey through the ash and smoke to find her father and bring him home.

Around the year 1000, the Icelandic horse named Elska is born and learns about life and her role in the herd, as well as love and friendship, when she rescues the girl to whom she originally belonged. Includes facts about Icelandic horses and Iceland.

Infused with the rich history and mythology of Iceland, Tobin's sweeping novel is an epic adventure of forbidden love, lust, jealousy, faith, and magical wonder set under the shadow of a smoldering volcano.