The Adventures of Onyx and The Race to Mackinac

Publisher: Ensign Benson Books LLC

The Chicago to Mackinac Island sailboat race has entered the final mile of their 333 mile journey, but they're in trouble. An overnight weather shift is causing high gusts and huge waves. More than 350 sailboats are trying to make it to the finish line in the Round Island Passage. The Coast Guard is on high alert, but Onyx's puppies, Search and Rescue, are rambunctious and creating a distraction on the response boat. The puppies are still in training and haven't learned to stay calm and lislten to commands like Onyx does. But when the crew needs assistance locating and rescuing the drifting sailor, Search and Rescue prove that they can truly live up to their names.

Tyler Benson is from St. Louis, Michigan.  He has served in the United States Coast Guard for more than 18 years.  He began writing short stories about his search and rescue adventures in the Coast Guard to educate his three young daughters about what Daddy does when he goes on duty for 48 hours at a time.  He wanted his daughters to learn the importance of service to their country and helping those in need.  To help his daughters better understand his job, Tyler wrote the stories featuring his real station's morale dog, Onyx.  These stories soon evolved into a dream.  This dream would be a tribute and a way to bring recognition to all who serve or have served in the United States Coast Guard.  Tyler is still currently serving in the United States Coast Guard in Highlands, New Jersey, where he lives with his wife, Kristy, and four children.

David Geister is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based artist who specializes in historical art, picture book illustrations and landscape paintings.  He has illustrated over a dozen children's books including, The Adventures of Onyx series, B is for Battlecry, and Surviving the Hindenburg, to name a few.