Footprints in Time

Popescu, Petru

3.45

40 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0060884002 ISBN 13: 9780060884000

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2008

Jack Conran can't imagine a better way to spend his summer than researching lions with his scientist father in Tanzania. He's thrilled when Dad invites him along on an expedition to the Witch's Pot, a storm-guarded and unexplored crater in the savanna. But when their plane goes down, Jack finds himself injured and alone in a wilderness teeming with hungry predators. Alone, that is, until he meets the mysterious creature who saved his life. Battling lions and the elements, Jack struggles to survive. But if he wants to return to civilization alive, Jack must first learn the fantastic secrets that nature—and his father—have been hiding.

A fast-paced adventure of discovery and survival from New York Times bestselling author Petru Popescu.

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About the Author:

Petru Popescu is the author of The Return, The Oasis, Amazon Beaming, and the bestselling novel Almost Adam. He grew up in Romania and now lives in California with his family.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5–8—On his summer vacation, Jack joins his scientist father and a research assistant to tag lions on the Tanzanian savanna but is stranded in the wilderness when their small plane crashes, killing both men. The survival story takes an extraordinary turn when the injured 13-year-old finds himself cared for by a boyish primate he comes to call Stone Boy. Jack remembers his father's excitement, earlier, when Jack found a trail of ancient primatelike footprints and begins wondering if tagging lions was just a cover for a deeper interest in tracking evidence of early man. The author develops Stone Boy with just enough human qualities to make him endearing, yet realistic. The unlikely friends learn to communicate using gestures and noises, make spears to kill game, and build fires with glass from the plane. The short idyll is disrupted by the appearance of Stone Boy's tribe, including his mother; its alpha leader; and Mohawk, a primate whose penchant for violence makes Jack even more resolved to find his way back to civilization. A satisfying ending includes an emotional rescue and Jack's tight-lipped explanation of his experiences, protecting Stone Boy, as his friend had protected him. Factual information about anthropologists and African wildlife intertwines with speculative fiction to create a fast-paced adventure that middle graders will relish.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
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