Devil's Breath by David Gilman
Likable teen, Max, attends an exclusive boarding school. Dad's an international environmentalist (out of town a lot) and his mom died in an accident related to his parents' work. Max is a great athlete, not so great student, but his school isn't only about grades. It is a survival school where students spend part of every day running or kayaking or skiing, etc. Suddenly Max's life is turned upside down when he gets word that his father is missing. There is a plan in place for this--Max goes to the vault at the school where his father left instructions and articles for him (all parents at the school do this--a service to the clientele). School officials think he is on his way to England to live with a cousin, but in reality Max is on his way to South Africa and Namibia to find his father. All he has are his wits, his survival skills, a certain knowledge that his father is alive and one weak lead...and some very good friends.
I have been to South Africa and Namibia and it was very cool to go again in this book! Readers may come to understand a little about the isolation and mysticism of the aboriginal Bushmen tribe and some geography of the area. This book is essentially a kid-spy detective book--a very popular genre going all the way back to the Hardy Boys! If you like it, be sure to read the Alex Rider series and the Young Bond series (both discussed in earlier blogs). This book is the Danger Zone series--book two is Ice Claw, book three is Blood Sun.
Comments