Take Me to the River - Hardcover

Hobbs, Will

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060741449 ISBN 13: 9780060741440

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2011

Synopsis

Deep in trouble,
Deep in the canyons

Fourteen-year-old Dylan Sands has come all the way from North Carolina to Big Bend National Park, on the Texas/Mexico border, to paddle the fabled Rio Grande. His partner in adventure is a local river rat, his cousin Rio. As the two are packing their boats for ten days in the canyons, six Black Hawk helicopters appear overhead and race across the river into Mexico.

The army won't tell the boys what's happening, but they are given a weather advisory: A hurricane is approaching the Gulf of Mexico. Dylan and Rio have their hearts set on their trip and can't give it up. Rio believes that their chances of running into border troubles or a major storm are slim to none.

By canoe and raft, Dylan and Rio venture into the most rugged and remote reaches of the U.S./Mexico border. You may well not see another human being during the duration of your trip, the guidebook tells them. They don't, until a man stumbles into camp with a seven-year-old boy. A storm is brewing as the man who calls himself Carlos begs for help . . . and the boy is trembling with fear.

About this title

About the Author

Will Hobbs is the award-winning author of nineteen novels, including Far North, Crossing the Wire, and Take Me to the River.

Never Say Die began with the author's eleven-day raft trip in 2003 down the Firth River on the north slope of Canada's Yukon Territory. Ever since, Will has been closely following what scientists and Native hunters are reporting about climate change in the Arctic. When the first grolar bear turned up in the Canadian Arctic, he began to imagine one in a story set on the Firth River.

A graduate of Stanford University, Will lives with his wife, Jean, in Durango, Colorado.

From Booklist

Fourteen-year-old Dylan arrives in a West Texas ghost town to meet his uncle and his cousin Rio for a canoe trip down the Rio Grande. Though his uncle has left for Alaska, he and Rio undertake the hazardous journey on their own. Dylan has barely learned to deal with scorpions when a hurricane bears down on the region, and a ruthless Mexican kidnapper demands a ride downriver for himself and the boy he holds captive. The cousins growing bond and quick wits become as important as their ability to maneuver treacherous waters. Narrated by Dylan, the story unfolds in a disarming manner. The pace is quick, and the challenges are relentless, but the writing is so grounded in physical details and emotional realism that every turn of events seems convincing within the context of the story. A double-page map enables readers to trace the boys journey along the Rio Grande. An exciting adventure story in an unusual setting. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0060741449
• ISBN 13: 9780060741440
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 192