The Maze [Paperback]

Will Hobbs (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Just fourteen, Rick Walder is alone, on the run, and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere. The Maze. In this surreal landscape of stark redrock spires and deep sandstone canyons, Rick stumbles into the remote camp of Lon Perigrino, a bird biologist who is realeasing fledgling California condors back into the wild. Intriqued by the endangered condors and the strange bearded man dedicated to saving them, Rick decides to stay on. When two men with a vicious dog drive up in a battered old Humvee, Rick discovers that Lon and his birds are in grave danger. Will he be able to save them? In a heart-stopping adventure infused with the spirit of the Icarus myth and a boy's dreams of flight, Will Hobbs brings readers a unique tale of identity, personal growth, and friendship.

01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), 01 AZ Young Reader Award Masterlist (Teen Bks cat.), 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist, 00-01 Minnesota's Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Nomination Masterlist (Grds 6-9), 00-01 Lone Star Reading List, 00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 7-12), 01 Washington State Evergreen YA Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), and 01 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee Masterlist

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What does it feel like to leap off a cliff and soar in a hang glider? To raise fledgling condors and release them into the wild? To outwit the sinister local yahoos who want to kill the giant, endangered birds? To be pursued at night in the red-rock moonscape of Utah's canyon country? The Maze combines all these enticing elements in a strong coming-of-age novel steeped in respect and concern for nature that is a characteristic of award-winning author Will Hobbs.

With a sure hand for pacing and suspense, Hobbs tells the story of Rick Walker, an angry young runaway escaping foster homes and detention centers. Rick takes refuge in the wilderness camp of an eccentric naturalist, Lon Peregrino, who teaches the teen rebel how to care for the California condors under his care. Rick's daring and initiative grow under Lon's guidance as he masters driving a truck over hair-raising mountain roads and hovering over the maze of canyons on the wings of a hang-glider. But is his newfound manhood enough to confront the forces that want the condors dead? And who will help him sort out the maze of his life when the authorities catch up with him? Younger readers graduating from Gary Paulsen's survival stories will be delighted to discover this adventure writer, while older fans of Hobbs's Downriver and other wilderness adventures are likely to deem The Maze one of his best. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Fourteen-year-old Rick Walker feels that his life is a maze. He's been bounced around from one foster family to another and is sent to a detention center for hard-core juvenile offenders after committing a petty offense. After he reports corruption at the facility, the boy is forced to flee for his life and ends up in an isolated part of Utah's canyon country, near an area called the Maze. Here he forms a friendship with Lon, a biologist who is trying to reintroduce condors into the wild. The two work together, observing and assisting the birds, and Lon teaches Rick to hang glide. When they run afoul of a pair of nasty antigovernment types who are hiding a cache of weapons in the area, their lives are placed in danger. Certain elements of the plot are pretty conventional, appearing in countless young adult novels (troubled teen runs away and finds redemption with wise friend in a remote area). What sets this book apart is the inclusion of fascinating details about the condors and hang gliding, especially the action-packed description of Rick's first solo flight above the canyons in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. Many young readers will find this an adventure story that they can't put down.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038072913X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380729135
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WILL HOBBS is the author of eighteen exciting outdoor adventure novels for upper elementary, middle school and young adult readers, as well as two picture book stories. Seven of his novels have been named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and Ghost Canoe, Will's first mystery, won the Edgar Allan Poe national award for Best Young Adult Mystery. The ALA's list of the "100 Best Young Adult Books of the 20th Century" includes two of Will's titles: Far North and Downriver.

A graduate of Stanford University and a former reading and language arts teacher, Will lives with his wife, Jean, in Durango, Colorado. Visit Will's website at www.willhobbsauthor.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A-maze-ing!, January 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Maze (Paperback)

From the first page, I was hooked on this book. A few pages later, I laughed at Killian's "literary appetite" and pitied his situation. Soon, you learn about Rick's problems. Because his life was endangered in a juvenile detention center, he embarked on a journey across the Southwest. He met Lon, a bird biologist who became like a father to him. I'm not a "nature girl" who often reads stories with male protagonists, but I immensely enjoyed "Maze". There were beautiful descriptions of the majestic landscape and an engaging plot. I wonder what'll happen to Rick in the future; however, dreaming up the outcome of a character's situation is part of the fun of reading a cliffhanger book. To anyone who loves tales of adventure with edge-of-your-seat suspense, I reccomend this book. My New Year's resolution: read more Will Hobbs books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Adults will love the adventure and excitement!, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Maze (Paperback)

I'm reading some of Will Hobbs' books for a graduate class I am taking. The Maze is so full of adventure and excitement, I couldn't put it down! Young adults will love the Canyonlands setting which is perfect for the elements of exploration and danger. What I loved most about the book was how 14 yr. old Rick's interests were so similar to Lon's, the bird biologist he befriends. The releasing and tracking of the endangered condors, and the hang-gliding lessons, were a real plus to the storyline. I particularly appreciated the author notes at the end, which included a websight for those who want further information on condors. An excellent read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Great Book, July 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Maze (Paperback)

My mom bought this book for me at a book fair at her work. I'm not sure why, but i'm glad. When i first got it I threw it on my bookshelf and never gave it a second glance, I didn't even read the back. But I was drawn to it, after i'd read everything else in my house two times over. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I am happy to say that this is my favorite book. I reccommend it to all young adults, even if it takes time....READ IT!