From Publishers Weekly
In conversational and occasionally digressive prose, Raskin, a seasoned desert explorer, with Pearson recounts his first visit to the Sahara. The book's title refers not to the duration of Raskin's actual journey but to a road sign listing the distance to Timbuktu as 52 days away, assuming one was traveling by camel. Taking in destinations as remote as the salt mines of Taoudenni, the labyrinthine trip--by van, camel, bus, truck, train, boat and jeep--is at times slow-going. In addition to the nuts and bolts of the journey, readers sift through tangential details to find diverting anecdotes and notable facts about the area's history and the customs of its residents. Informally annotated maps track Raskin's progress, and sidebars provide some entertaining information, such as tips for climbing onto a camel, various uses for a turban in the desert and for haggling with African shopkeepers. As a photographer Raskin shines (unfortunately, the gutter swallows some pictures). His images are illuminating and occasionally funny: to advertise his popularity, a Marrakesh dentist plants himself in the middle of the town square and proudly displays all the teeth he has pulled; and a man rides in the rear half of an old car being pulled by a donkey. Shots such as these will enliven the long desert crossing for many readers. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-An engaging account of an expedition around the western Sahara in the company of an enthusiastic documentor of a varied habitat and its even more varied inhabitants. Chancing upon a road sign decorated with an illustration of a camel caravan and reading (in Arabic and French) "Timbuktu 52 Days," Raskin determined to get there and "see it, smell it, explore it." As the old route is not feasible (no more camel caravans and a plethora of left-behind land mines), he set out from Fez on a series of excursions riding buses, jeeps, trucks, a train, and a camel. Arriving in Timbuktu at last, he continued on to Taoudenni, the source of desert salt reputed to have both medicinal and magical properties. Intermixed with Raskin's lively, if scattershot, narrative are sidebars full of fascinating information: how to bargain in an African market, 10 ways to use a turban (besides wearing it as a hat), how to recycle a bike, etc. Maps accompany each leg of the journey, and the route dots are color-coordinated with dots on the page numbers to keep readers in step with the author. Clear, bright, full-color photos abound. This title's true worth is as a record of one curious individual's pilgrimage off the beaten path, a record that may speak on a deeply personal note to like-minded young readers.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
