Karen Hesse has written many acclaimed works of historical fiction for children and young adults, including 1998 Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Grant in 2002 and the Kerlan Award in 2006, Hesse immerses herself in extensive research for each of the books she writes. In her newest novel, Safekeeping, she has turned her attention to a dystopian future and the dislocating experiences of a Brattleboro teenager who walks to Canada in search of her missing parents and safety. Hesse’s stunning black-and-white photographs, taken as she walked her character’s northerly route, illustrate this groundbreaking book for students and adults.