Williwaw by Tom Bodett

This is an adventure book set in Alaska. The isolation and danger remind me a little bit of Gary Paulson's Hatchet--many kids enjoy reading that!

Here is the synopsis: "In their father's absence, thirteen-year-old September and her younger brother Ivan disobey his orders by taking the boat out on their Alaska bay, where they are caught in a terrifying storm called a williwaw."

http://www.bodett.com/titles/williwaw.htm