"Chris Dearing comes from a long line of losers, namely a mildly criminal, semi-alcoholic father, an absent mother and a history of bad luck that's plagued the Dearing family for generations. But with his father in jail and Social Services threatening to land him in foster care, now Chris's luck is running out, too. His only hope runs through the wild rivers of the forbidding North. What is up there other than moose snot and mosquitos the size of bats? Gold. More specifically, a gold claim won and then lost by Chris's grandfather, Wally Dearing. Reclaiming the old family gold stake looks to Chris like his only hope to get his father back on the straight and narrow, and Social Services off his back. And maybe, just maybe, he can finally turn the Dearing family luck around once and for all. First, Chris has to travel thousands of kilometres north and register the expired gold claim before anyone else realizes it's up for grabs. But Social Services is hot on his trail and danger lurks around every twist and turn of the long journey. Even with the help of a food truck-running misfit, a motorcycle-loving restaurant owner and Chris's best friend, Shard, it's getting harder and harder to know who to trust.Will Chris strike out like the rest of his family or strike gold and finally get a chance to rewrite Dearing history? Depends if that giant, slobbering moose lets him down from that huge pine tree."--