Thunder Cave (Paperback)

by Roland Smith (Author) "After school I rode my mountain bike home in the rain..." (more)
Key Phrases: pretty damn stubborn, escarpment road, other poacher, Land Rover, New York, Nguruman Escarpment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-A maddening mix of adventure imbued with Hopi and Masai mysticism. Fourteen-year-old Jake Lansa, a half-Italian, half-Hopi boy who lives in New York City with his mother and stepfather, both anthropology professors, corresponds with his father, an idealistic field biologist studying elephants in Kenya. After his mother is run over by a car while jogging, Jake decides Kenya is a better bet than being shipped off to his relatives in Nebraska. One hitch is that his father is unreachable somewhere out in the bush. After surviving a mugging in Nairobi, Jake bicycles his way west, right past lions and warthogs. He befriends a well-educated Masai and together, their mission somehow linked by Jake's grandfather's kachina, they bring rain to the drought-stricken country, drive out ruthless poachers, and, of course, find Dr. Lansa. Survival tips, like learning how to stalk animals by seeing through their eyes, are engrossing, and the butchery of the elephants by the poachers is sobering. The conservation message isn't too ponderous, but other aspects of the story are preachy, and the "voice-overs"-prophetic words uttered by Jake's father and grandfather-are repetitive and soon grate. The "you're here for a reason" theme is disappointing in the otherwise real and appealing My Side of the Mountain-like teenage-survival story.
John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Gr. 5^-8. After his mother is killed in a jogging accident and his stepfather decides to ship him off to live with relatives in Nebraska, 14-year-old Jacob Lansa opts to travel to Kenya in search of his father, a wildlife biologist tracking elephant herds. While crossing the Kenyan bush, Jacob meets Supeet, a young Masai on a quest to end the drought, and the two join forces. On their trek they encounter a dangerous ring of poachers, whose greed threatens Africa's wildlife with extinction. Although the novel is longer than most for this age group, the action never flags, and Smith's focus on local color and vivid attention to detail will make readers feel they are participants in Jacob's experiences. Reminiscent of Gary Paulsen's survival novels, this will appeal to adventure buffs. Eric Campbell's A Place of Lions (1991) provides a related look at east equatorial Africa. Kay Weisman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786811595
• ISBN-13: 978-0786811595
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,763 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thunder Cave was an excellent book, from beginning to end., November 15, 1999

By A Customer

The whole story is an adventure, its fun, interesting and realistic. I recommend this book to anyone who can read. Believe me, you won't be able to put the book down!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book!, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

I loved this book! It is one of my favorites... I think that one of the reasons why its so great is because its believable. Jacob had a reasonable way of getting to Kenya, meeting Supeet, and finding elephants. The plot is intriguing and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I REALLY think you should read it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dereks Book Review for Thunder Cave, February 9, 2006

A Kid's Review

This story is the best yet of Roland Smith. If you like any of his other books this one you will love. It has the same theme of his Crypid hunter book at the begging of it. Anyway the story starts out in Nww York CIty. Jacob comes home from a regular day of school. He thens gets a message that his mom has been hit by a car. She ends up dying in intensive care. They have a funeral for her in a small chapel. Jacob try to get of Robet Lansa, known as Dr. Lansa, also Jacobs dad. He cant get a hold of him. His dad is a field bioligist in Kenya. Sam has got a new job and has decided that Jacob has to move with his aunt and uncle. Jacob dosent does like that and decides to move with Kenya with his dad. His dad dosent even know that. Jacob gathers his supplies and goes to talk to Taw, his uncle. Taw gives Jacob some avise and an amulet. When he gets to Kenya and goes through customs he finds out he can t keep his food. He hes is going into Kenya with no food while theres a drought. So he leaves the the airport and gets a hotel. The next day he goes and gets some food. Someone steals his bike and he follows them and gets beaten up and his food gets stolen. He goes to the hotel and gets a good nights rest. The next day he goes and finds his bike and steals it back. The next day he heads into Kenya. He faces many problems along the plain, like meating a lion face to face and facing dehydration. After almost dying of dehydration he meats a man named Supeet. He learns a lot from Supeet. They then learn how to perform a rain ceromony. They then peform it in Thunder Cave. Jacob gets captured by poachers.

This is the best book ive ever read!!!
Read it youll love it.