The Amazon (The Wildes #1)

by Roland Smith (Author)

The Amazon (The Wildes #1)
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: The Wildes

Ring and Asia Wilde's life is anything but ordinary.

Some of their closest friends are endangered monkeys and rare birds. Instead of attending middle school, they accompany their parents (scientists who work to save endangered species) on adventures around the world. They spend more time climbing trees, tracking animal prints, and taking on three-hundred-pound anacondas than they do filling out worksheets. But a research trip to the Amazon rainforest turns into a dangerous mystery when their mother goes missing. Who kidnapped Dr. Jane Wilde, and why? Ring and Asia have the skills to survive the jungle--but do they have what it takes to rescue their mom?

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Kirkus

A fun, fast-paced thrill ride.

Publishers Weekly

When their mother disappears in the Amazon rainforest while researching golden lion tamarins, two siblings leave base camp to seek her in this uneven, environmentally conscious mystery. Resourceful, fact-savvy Asia Wilde, 13, and fearless Ring, 11, are often left to their own devices by their ambitious parents, but Asia's field notebooks betray a yearning for regular school over global homeschooling. Their conservation-biologist mother frequently goes off-grid during field work, and their veterinarian father operates a massive Texas animal park, specializing in conserving rare and endangered animals. Currently staying with their mother south of Altamira near Brazil's Xingu River, the kids wake to find they've been deserted by their camp crew and their mom is missing from her zipline-connected network of treetop research platforms. The nearest adult is their dithering tutor, until the arrival of an Indigenous Kayapo man, Raoni, who holds an advanced degree in cultural anthropology and conservation biology, and who helps the children after wildlife-cam footage deepens the mystery. Though Raoni's undercover impersonation of "an ignorant Kayapo" strikes a strange note, thrilling, high-stakes escape scenes propel the plot and eco-justice message as Smith (The Switch) reveals the terrible damage inflicted by government and industry on Indigenous lands and wildlife habitats. Ages 9-10. (Apr.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Roland Smith
New York Times best-selling author Roland Smith is the author of twenty-eight young adult novels including Peak, The Edge, Beneath, Above, Elephant Run, Shatterproof (39 Clues), the Cryptid Hunters series, the I, Q series, and the Storm Runner series. His novels have garnered dozens of state and national book awards. He lives in Portland, Oregon. Visit him at www.rolandsmith.com
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534111943
Lexile Measure
670
Guided Reading Level
O
Publisher
Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date
April 15, 2023
Series
The Wildes
BISAC categories
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV002340 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Jungle Animals
JUV067000 - Juvenile Fiction | Thrillers & Suspense
Library of Congress categories
Survival
Mystery and detective stories
Detective and mystery stories
Detective and mystery fiction
Missing persons
Rain forests
Amazon River Region
Siblings
Novels

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