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.
Gr 5-8-When Jacob's mother dies in a car accident, Jacob impulsively sets off for Africa to find his father, a wildlife biologist studying elephants in Kenya. Not knowing the exact location of his father's camp, Jacob wanders through the African Bush encountering wild animals, dangerous poachers, and a young Masai on a mission to save his people from the country's devastating drought. Filled with adventure and plot twists, Jacob eventually meets up with his father, and rain finally comes to the troubled land. Roland Smith's book (Hyperion, 1995) is told through Jacob's first person perspective. Narrator Johnny Heller realistically portrays a 14-year-old boy dealing with a gamut of emotional and physical crises. He gives a very smooth and well-paced reading, using subtle voice changes to believably become other characters like Supeet, the wise Masai, and Donovan, the scheming poacher. The action-packed plot coupled with Heller's solid reading makes this a worthy purchase for school and public libraries.-Lori Craft, Downers Grove Public Library, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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