Take Me to the River

A summer vacation canoeing and rafting in the Big Bend National Park, for Dylan this sounds like a great way to spend the summer. His uncle and cousin, who are river rats, will make sure Dylan is safe and has a great time.

Unfortunately once Dylan arrives, he finds that his uncle is in Alaska and his cousin Rio hasn't bothered to tell him about that little detail. However, Dylan is already there and decides to go for it and that what his parents don't know won't hurt him.

Rio and Dylan get ready and start off on their journey. They wind up having to deal with Hurricane Dolly which has the river depths running at an all time high, dangerously so. But that isn't even the worst of their problems. Drug cartel thugs kill two judges. One of the criminal takes a hostage and manages to escape to the river. Guess who Dylan and Rio run into?

Put this all into one pot and watch it boil, hotter and higher than either teen could even imagine. Will they survive Dolly and Carlos or are they goners?

This was one of those kind of books that pull you into the action quickly. Rio and Dylan make a good team. They've never met, but they become good friends almost immediately. Both are just a little to anxious to take risks, yet they are still good at thinking out their strategies and figure out the best/safest way to get out of a jam. They show a maturity that is impressive and they are brave and willing to risk their lives to save the young hostage, Diego. They are the kind of teens, I think most YAs would like to think they would be if they were caught in this kind of dangerous situation.

I enjoyed the white knuckle action and kept turning the pages to find out how it ended. If you enjoy action and heroes, you'll like this new offering by Will Hobbs.

Grace

Elizabeth Scott has written a novel that has a great impact. It is not a long novel but it is certainly one that the reader will think about even after they have finished reading it. It is direct and is very spare. I really think that this would make a great play.

Grace and Kerr are both on the run. They are on opposite sides of the political spectrum but have one thing in common, they want to escape the tyranny of Keran Berj and they both want to live. Grace was trained to be a suicide bomber who would kill prominent members of Keran Berj's government. Kerr is in reality Jerusha, a follower of Keran Berj who is held in high regard by Keran Berj.

Following their history to the point where they get on the train is horrifying. That a society could make turn their children into killers is hard to fathom. Then I remember that there is a country that turn children into killer soldiers. Seeing how Grace and Kerr (Jerusha) evolve and communicate with one another is powerful.

This is not a story for everyone, but anyone who read this would gain something from the reading. If you enjoy a book that makes you think, this is the book for you. I was impressed with this author and would recommend it to anyone.