Son of Fortune
Son of Fortune is the gripping sequel to The Devil's Paintbox, by acclaimed historical fiction writer Victoria McKernan. Aiden Lynch is a survivor--only 16 years old, he's seen himself through near-starvation on the Kansas prairie, a brutal journey on the Oregon trail, and backbreaking work in a lumber camp. Now he's reached the glittering city of San Francisco, and though his future is uncertain, promise lies ahead. Luck seems to favor him as he manages to stay one step ahead of trouble, even in the city's notoriously dangerous Barbary Coast. And it is pure fortune that leads him to a wealthy family, and then the high-stakes poker game in which he wins a ship--fully outfitted and ready for trade. The trade he has inherited: importing guano, a highly potent fertilizer, from island mines in Peru.
Victoria McKernan
Victoria McKernan is the acclaimed author of Son of Fortune, The Devil's Paintbox and Shackleton's Stowaway, a historical novel for young adults about the 18-year-old stowaway on Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to the South Pole. She has also written four novels for adults. She lives in Washington, D.C., with a dog, two cats, and one boa constrictor.