"He was a quiet man, and he was a great one for writing." That's how young Sandy Ross first describes the great botanist and explorer David Douglas in this engaging new historical novel. Grounded in meticulous research about Douglas and his travels through the Pacific Northwest in 1824-25, "Olla Piska" provides an account of Douglas and a description of what life was like for many different people in the region in the years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Douglas's student, Sandy, who has run away from home to join the Hudson's Bay Company, learns about the plants that Douglas methodically collected and identified for science. He befriends T'Catisa, the daughter of Chinook Chief Cockqua, and they spend time with Douglas as he explores a new landscape. "Olla Piska" is a good introduction for young people and adults alike to one of the most important scientists and explorers to visit the Columbia country.