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The Switch

On the morning of Henry Ludd’s thirteenth birthday, the power goes out. No phones, no news, and planes are literally falling out of the sky. Henry’s father was away from the family farm and he has not returned. It’s worrisome as people descend into lawlessness. Four months later, the electricity […]

The Switch

Author vs Fan, Face-off 1

Watch Authors get crushed by young fans in Author Fan Faceoff! This is a wonderful game show put together by Steve Sheinkin, author of “BOMB” one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time, and the fabulous librarian Stacey Rattner. I’ve watched dozens of episodes and have loved every one […]


Descent 3

Peak and his team need to descend into Tibet after surviving an avalanche on the remote and isolated mountain of Hkakabo Razi. The only catch is that Peak’s famous mountaineering father, Josh, and climbing guide, Zopa, are both wanted by the Chinese government. As a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse ensues, making […]

Descent, by Roland Smith

Roland Smith, author, books

Author Visits March 2020 8

Have rental car will travel! In March I will be in Missouri and Texas and surrounding States visiting schools and speaking at conferences. As always, I pay my own travel expenses. If you would like to have me speak to your school about reading, writing, and wildlife conservation please contact […]


ASCENT 7

After conquering the mountains in Afghanistan, Peak Marcello goes to Myanmar, a country that has been in the grips of a brutal military regime for more than fifty years, to visit Alessia. When he’s invited to climb Hkakabo Razi, one of the most isolated mountains in the world, Peak can’t […]

Ascent, by Roland Smith

Book pile, Roland Smith

Author Visits September 1st thru October 31, 2017 9

As many of you know I have had an amazing time visiting with thousands of students at schools across the country. Many of these schools have been repeat visits. Last year I visited over 100 schools coast to coast driving in our SUV. We are planning another “Author Tour Adventure” […]


The Edge, by Roland Smith

The Edge 16

The International Peace Ascent is the brainchild of billionaire Sebastian Plank: Recruit a global team of young climbers and film an inspiring, world-uniting documentary. The adventure begins when fifteen-year-old Peak Marcello and his mountaineer mother are helicoptered to a remote base camp in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan […]