Pam WithersReseñas

Adventure

Mystery

Dilemma

I put thriller but tbh it wasnt very thrilling. Trigger warning for disordered eating

Owen is looking forward to the week when his parents go away to a convention of marina owners. He plans to find something exciting to do on this island where there are no young people. He and his parents moved here after an incident with his brother, which left his parents fearing that Owen would eventually fall prey to the same negative influences. When a storm comes and strands a boat at the marina for the night, Owen sees an opportunity to make friends with the yacht's first mate, Arturo and stowaway before they leave. Little does he know that Arturo is less than a first mate and more like a slave to the captain who is taking boys escaping from Columbia to Canada for a price. Once Owen discovers them, he becomes a liability to the captain, leading to the possibility that he might not make it back home.
Stowaway is an adventure story with a lesson about taking life for granted. The story alternates perspective from Owen to Arturo. Owen seems ridiculously naive to Arturo's worldliness which works well to contrast the two main characters and challenges the reader to root for at least one of them. A fairly simple and predictable story makes this a short, easy read with little depth or profound ideas.

What a great book for teens! I really learned a lot about bear poaching and drones. It was sometimes really sad to read about, but it had great lessons. The book subtly encourages readers to both empathize with animals and take action to protect them (which I love). It was clear that this author did her research and I look forward to reading more books by her. It is also action packed and didn't lose my interest for a second! On top of the bear poaching mystery, there were some complicated family dynamics involved. I can't say I had as much sympathy for the grandfather as the author did but, overall, I liked that it is about following your passion and not caring what others think of you. The main character doesn't fit in but he doesn't take it personally. He has a sense of self that I wish I had had as a teen...highly recommend!

Tristan Gordon did everything with his dad -- hiking, climbing, swimming, tracking -- just about any outdoor adventuring activity they mastered and loved. But, one day eight months ago, his father disappeared in Swallow Canyon. Searches were conducted but no body was ever discovered. The insurance company won't pay out without proof of his father's death, and Tristan's mother sinks deeper and deeper into depression and mental illness. Depending on the generosity of an uncle to keep them afloat, Tristan juggles school and trying to help his mother. He resents the presence of their new age obsessed housekeeper, who also is the caregiver for his mother while he's at school. He wishes the money his uncle spends on her salary could be used for groceries and more important things than the weird spiritual mumbo-jumbo she uses to calm his mother.

Tristan feels called to track his father in Swallow Canyon to find out what happened. But he knows that just the mention of him going climbing into a canyon will be enough to tip his mother over the edge.

After months of avoiding canyoneering, Tristan gets invited on a trip down into the upper portion of Swallow Canyon. The group is being led by a 19 year old girl, the new guide for a local adventuring company. He enjoys his day out, but wonders why he was invited on the trip.

The housekeeper, Elspeth, keeps telling him that he needs to go down into the canyon and retrieve something, anything that belonged to his father. She says a token from his dad is all it will take to bring his mom out of the fog and back into living. As they run out of money and other options, Tristan realizes that he needs to venture into Swallow Canyon to find answers about what happened to his father. But what will he find? And will it really help his mom?

This book is a quick, exciting read! Perfect for middle-grade to adult readers. There is a little bit of language, but nothing that bad. Nothing any teenager wouldn't say in the same situation. The adventuring, canyoneering theme is really interesting and suspenseful. The plot also delves into the confusion and life-altering effects of mental illness, grief and loss. Tristan is just a kid, but he's dealing with so much trying to keep his mother going while worrying about buying groceries and keeping their family going. It's an adventure story and a coming of age tale.

A lovely book! I got pulled into the story quickly and didn't want to stop reading! The story is well written, moves along at a perfect pace and has enough suspense to hold a reader's interest.

Great book for kids and adults alike (I'm nearly 50 years old and I loved the story!), especially those who like the outdoors and adventuring! It really made me want to put on my hiking books and hit the trails here in western NC!

Pam Withers has written 18 adventuring books for young readers. She lives in Vancouver. For more information on the author and her other books, check out her website: http://www.pamwithers.com/pw/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Dundurn Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I enjoyed this book immensely. As with all of her books, Pam Withers masterfully builds up the characters and skilfully weaves the storyline in a manner that kept me reading - not wanting to put the book down. I especially enjoyed the suspense as it built up throughout the book. The narrative is structured around a plot that raises awareness towards radicalization and discrimination - in this case the marginalization of Muslims in North America. It is very evident that part of what makes Ms. Withers such an accomplished author are the efforts she puts into research and consultation in the preparation of writing her books. One of the many contacts she sought is a young Muslim woman, Arooj Hayat. Ms. Hayat immigrated to Canada as a young child and is working on her Pharmacy degree. Appropriately, Arooj is coauthor of the book.

I'm not going to review my own book, but I will say that this is my favorite of 21 YA novels I've written, and that it is one of only two I've self-published because publishers thought it was too edgy. It dares to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Told from the perspectives of the 2 main characters; Owen, a Canadian boy on a lonely island with a hidden secret, and Arturo, a first mate on a people smuggling boat from Guatamala who was once a street kid.
Owen is left by his parents to look after the island marina one weekend while they are away.
Arturo and his horrible captain are forced to berth at Owen's marina to escape a terrible storm. Owen admires their boat and after befriending Artudo thinks he can stow away and pop out to surprise them when they leave the harbour but it doesn't turn out that way.
Unfortunately, he stumbles across 7 hidden school boys on the yacht. There is piracy ( the people smugglers themselves are robbed) and violence. At one stage Arturo is whipped by the captain, and in an effort to get money from the smuggled boys and Owen, they are forced into a tree planting slavery racket where they are kept in filthy conditions awaiting a ransom payment from their parents.
There is a lot of betrayal and plot twists and turns as Owen is caught in a situation where he can trust no-one. It is told in alternating chapters between Owen & Arturo, with the latter suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and believing he is an unworthy person.
Lots of suspense and adventure that boys will love.½

Tracker's Canyon is nail biting from the start. From the beginning the reader is kept in suspense and wondering who it is who wants to harm Tristan. All the characters are suspect and every situation is viewed woth suspicion.

It is a white knuckle ride as the group descends into the canyon, and the reader is left wondering if anybody will make it out alive.

Highly recommended to everyone who loves a fast paced action thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC to read and review.

Andreo and his friend Raul were both adopted from Bolivia, but neither knows much about the circumstances surrounding their adoption. Shortly before Andreo, his brother David, his mom and dad and his friend Raul leave Canada and travel to Bolivia to compete in a multi-sport cycling and caving race, two events happen which change the way Andreo thinks about his adoptive family; he gets a look inside the family safe and sees his adoption papers and he sees a televised newscast about a criminal who has been arrested in Bolivia for illegally selling babies for thousands of dollars. He suspects that he and Raul were among the babies acquired illegally. Quick paced and entertaining especially if you're into cross country cycling or off road bike racing.

Sixteen-year-old Andreo and his friend Raul were both adopted as newborns in Bolivia. When Andreo's adoptive family plan a week-long multi-sport adventure race in Bolivia, the boys see it as a chance to find details of their births. News of a recent criminal investigation into the adoption agency suggests they may have been adopted illegally as part of a baby trafficking business. Long days and nights of canoeing, cycling, hiking, and caving in harsh mountain conditions are combined with their research in an adventure-packed story. This is a book I would have devoured when I was a teen for the adventure alone never mind the mystery element. Highly recommended for young adults - and even some of us older adults.½

I received this book through Librarything.com's Early Reviewer giveaway. I have tried several times to read it, but I have not been able to get past the first few pages. I usually enjoy teen fiction, so I'm not sure why this one has been so difficult for me to read.

Andreo and his adopted family sign up for an adventure race in South America, his land of origin. Since a 5th person is needed on the team, they take along Andreo's friend Raul who was also adopted from the same village. It is the perfect time for Andreo and Raul to try to track down their birth parents, and what they find out, leads to more questions. Between the thrill of the race and the excitement of the hunt, Andreo and Raul find themselves facing one hurdle after another. Mystery, intrigue and danger fill this novel as well as the sentiment of adopted boys trying to find out their past. An excellent choice for reluctant readers, this 164 page is recommended for grades 7 & up.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy. I was especially pleased, because I do enjoy reading YA books.

I liked this story for a couple of reasons: I haven't read anything, before, about adventure racing--this is a new concept to me, and I thought it sounded really exciting; also, I guess I haven't read many books about adopted children searching out their birth parents--I can't even imagine the struggle the children, birth parents, and adoptive parents go through when the adopted children come of age and start asking those questions! I thought this book was very interesting, with regards to that topic; and placing this core idea in the middle of an adventure race added an exciting element to it!

I'll definitely look for more by this author!!!

Andreo's Race is an excellent story about a young man who comes of age as he learns about his family and background. The book was written with a fast pace in mind and I was surprised with how quickly I read it. The story took many turns which kept me coming back for more.

I felt like I was riding the bikes or participating in the activities that were described in this book. It is clear that the author did her background research in order to describe these adventures.

This is a wonderful book for many different types of teens or adults. Individuals who are adopted, interested in athletics or sports competitions, grew up somewhere that they were not born or like to travel can all find an easy way to connect with this book.

Adventure, excitement, and teens triumphing against evil adults; I liked everything except some of the language which wasn't always necessary to advance the plot.

Fast paced mixture of sports and mystery is sure to hook young boys.

Andreo's Race was an intriguing story that kept the reader interested from beginning to end. Pam Withers crafted a unique novel that combined the excitement of adventure racing with the emotional story line of an adopted child in search of his parents. The plot was solid and there was just enough conflict to keep the reader interested in what was going to happen next. While overall the characters were fairly well developed, Some of the main characters seemed a little forced and I didn't really understand their behavior of emotions. It should be noted that many of the characters use language that would be considered unacceptable in any school across the country. While I understand that many children use this kind of language, I don't really like the idea of my middle schooler reading it constantly. Especially when it really isn't vital in any way to the story. Overall I would recommend this book to most readers in spite of the language. I think most middle and high school boys would enjoy this quick read.

Adventure,mystery, and discovering the true meaning of family, Andreo's Race was a solid enjoyable read, Andreo's excursion through Bolivia was packed with humour and longing. Fascinating characters and plot twists keep you interested until the very end.

This was a fun young adult adventure book, which takes place in Bolivia. Somewhat formulaic, in that the teens triumphantly battle the evil adults, it also deals with the teen topic of adoption. However, the story is entertaining, the plot generally believable, the setting exotic, and the characters likeable. I also enjoyed the adventure race aspect of the story.

I enjoyed this book even though it would not have been on my radar had I not received it as a LIbraryThing Early Reviewer. I got into the action and the lives of these boys who are trying to find their birth parents while on an adventure race through Bolivia.

Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life was an interesting book filled with many practical ideas. I have a young son which is why I was interested in reading this book. I came away with some good ideas of how I can support and help him.

A solid adventure story for young adult readers! The story follows protagonist, Rex, the 17 year old grandson of a crotchety kayaking legend who mysteriously left Columbia before completing his descent of the El Furioso River. With the mission of completing what his grandfather started, Rex travels to Southwest Columbia, where he learns the truth about his grandfather’s legacy. Along the way, he meets Myriam, an indigenous teen who forces him to see beyond his kayaking goals to the plight of Columbian villagers caught in the crossfire of guerillas, paramilitaries, and the Columbian government. The writing is strong in some areas- Withers uses vivid images of Rex’s kayaking maneuvers and masterfully creates tension that compels the reader to go on. The weaker parts of the book are when Withers goes inside of characters’ heads and the transitions can be rather abrupt as the novel bounces back and forth between Rex’s narration and a third person p.o.v. There is an underlying story about the prejudice and egocentricity of Rex and his grandfather, who seem to view Columbians as ignorant and cultureless (to varying degrees). This is a great topic for discussion among young adult readers, but I wish Withers had gone further with it. The ending hints that Rex’s perspective is shifting, but a deeper look into the culture of the Columbian people could have created a much-needed epiphany for Rex. In general though, this book has a compelling storyline that would hold much appeal for adventure-loving 14-17 year olds. I’m glad to have it in my library for students to read!

• I received this book through Library Thing Early Reviewers