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Thunder Cave

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Thunder Cave

Hardcover(Library Binding)

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Hardcover(Library Binding)
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A family reunion turns into the adventure of a lifetime when Jacob Lansa travels to Kenya in search of his father.

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About the Author

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ISBN-13:	9781442013902
Publisher:	Baker & Taylor, CATS
Publication date:	07/10/2009
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Roland Smith is the author of Zach's Lie, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers Cryptid HuntersThunderCave JaguarThe Last Lobo and Sasquatch. He lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with his wife Marie, who also writes children's books.

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Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-9-A maddening mix of adventure imbued with Hopi and Masai mysticism. Fourteen-year-old Jake Lansa, a half-Italian, half-Hopi boy who lives in New York City with his mother and stepfather, both anthropology professors, corresponds with his father, an idealistic field biologist studying elephants in Kenya. After his mother is run over by a car while jogging, Jake decides Kenya is a better bet than being shipped off to his relatives in Nebraska. One hitch is that his father is unreachable somewhere out in the bush. After surviving a mugging in Nairobi, Jake bicycles his way west, right past lions and warthogs. He befriends a well-educated Masai and together, their mission somehow linked by Jake's grandfather's kachina, they bring rain to the drought-stricken country, drive out ruthless poachers, and, of course, find Dr. Lansa. Survival tips, like learning how to stalk animals by seeing through their eyes, are engrossing, and the butchery of the elephants by the poachers is sobering. The conservation message isn't too ponderous, but other aspects of the story are preachy, and the ``voice-overs''-prophetic words uttered by Jake's father and grandfather-are repetitive and soon grate. The ``you're here for a reason'' theme is disappointing in the otherwise real and appealing My Side of the Mountain-like teenage-survival story.-John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX

School Library Journal

After his mother is killed in a jogging accident and his stepfather decides to ship him off to live with relatives in Nebraska, 14-year-old Jacob Lansa opts to travel to Kenya in search of his father, a wildlife biologist tracking elephant herds. While crossing the Kenyan bush, Jacob meets Supeet, a young Masai on a quest to end the drought, and the two join forces. On their trek they encounter a dangerous ring of poachers, whose greed threatens Africa's wildlife with extinction. Although the novel is longer than most for this age group, the action never flags, and Smith's focus on local color and vivid attention to detail will make readers feel they are participants in Jacob's experiences. Reminiscent of Gary Paulsen's survival novels, this will appeal to adventure buffs. Eric Campbell's "A Place of Lions" (1991) provides a related look at east equatorial Africa.

Kay Weisman

Johnny Heller succeeds again; this time he introduces listeners to Kenyans, Native Americans, and a 14-year-old American boy. Jacob lives in NYC. When his mother dies, he decides to go to the African bush to find his scientist father. Jacob overcomes many trials, illustrating to kids what a real hero of their own age can be like. Heller is splendid as he portrays a range of ages and cultures while bringing life to an exciting story. Along with learning varied facts about Africa, children will be introduced to some Masai and Swahili words, which are peppered throughout this believable adventure. Older children, young adults, and those interested in action stories or Africa will be entranced. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 01 - AudioFile

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