Gr. 5^-8. In this sequel to
Thunder Cave (1995), 14-year-old Jacob Lansa's restless zoologist father takes off for Brazil to set up a jaguar preserve, leaving Jacob behind in upstate New York, boarding with his grandfather in a retirement home. Jake understands his father's devotion to his work but feels abandoned, especially after he visits South America and meets the beautiful botanist Flanna Brenna, who has captured his father's attentions. Before Jake has a chance to write off both his father and Brazil, he gets caught up in the intrigue surrounding the preserve and finds himself deep in the Amazon, battling the elements, tropical wildlife, and some mysterious fortune hunters. While Smith's ecological message--the jungle must be preserved undisturbed--comes through loud and clear, the book's strength lies in strong characterization (particularly the relationship between father and son), vivid local color, and high adventure. At the book's end, Jake sets off for the U.S., prepared to take his aging grandfather on one last trip to his native Arizona, perhaps setting the stage for future adventures.
Kay Weisman
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From Kirkus Reviews
The lush tropical rainforest serves as an unexpected but colorful setting for this sequel to Smith's Thunder Cave (1995, not reviewed). Jake Lansa, 14, is angry when his father, Robert ``Doc'' Lansa, leaves him in the care of a retirement home with his grandfather, while he goes off to a jaguar preserve in the jungles of Manaus, near Brazil. The early scenes in the retirement facility are humorous and touching, but the pace accelerates once Jake flies down for a visit with his dad. In one of the novel's most dramatic moments, a confrontation between father and son is interrupted by an explosion aboard the boat Doc has chartered. Jake is forced to become the ultralight pilot of the expedition, and to hire the mysterious Captain Silver to take them upriver. Jake's crash course in piloting is exciting, as is the journey. The rainforest in the background brings the plight of this endangered environment into focus for young readers: Smith's portrayal of the decimated forests, the filthy strip-mining towns, and the desolate native tribes is haunting. The mystery aboard ship unravels at a suspenseful pace, and while everyone must work together to insure their survival, Jake emerges a hero. A first-rate adventure about greed, mutual dependence, and family. (Fiction. 11-13) --
Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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