Adventure

Jake Lansa thought that he and his father, Doc were going to be together in Poughkeepsie near Jake's grandfather, Taw, but when Doc decides to go to Brazil to set up a jaguar preserve, he leaves Jake to live at Taw's retirement home. When Jake finally hears from Doc and goes to visit him in Brazil, he is angry that Doc took so long to get in touch with him. Jake's displeasure is soon replaced with sorrow when Doc's best friend is killed in an accident, and Jake's father is going to need him if the dream of setting up the jaguar preserve is ever going to come to fruition.

Jaguar is the second story in the Jacob Lansa series. Once again, Roland Smith provides plenty of action and adventure for his characters and brings them to life. We sense Jake's frustration as he feels that his father does not consider his needs. Although Jake's dialogue seems fairly adult, it is understandable since most of the interactions in Jake's life are with adults. Overall, Jaguar is another exciting entry in the Jacob Lansa series and well worth the read. ( )

Jake's father, Doc, has headed to Brazil to help his friend Bill set up a Jaguar preserve. His mother is dead so Doc has installed Jake in a retirement home with his grandfather Taw. After a month of not hearing anything, Jake is getting worried. Then one day Doc sends a fax to tell Jake he has bought him a plane ticket for Brazil. When Jake arrives, his dad is not there to meet him, but he meets Bud. Jake realizes that Doc only wants him to visit for a week, not stay and help him. Jake meets Flanna, his dad's girlfriend and he is even more upset. At this point everything changes. The boat his dad and Bill bought explodes. Bill is killed, Bud breaks his leg and Doc is badly burned. Bud convinces Doc that Jake should stay and learn how to fly the ultralight to help them track the jaguars until his leg heals. There is a lot of adventure, some scary situations and lots of information about the rain forest. I wish I had this book when I was teaching about the rainforest, it would have been a great addition to that unit. ( )

After Jacob's mom died, he thought that he'd become his dad's partner, so when he gets stuck in a retirement home while his dad goes to Brazil, he feels betrayed. His dad invites him to Brazil for vacation, and he only feels more left out. Things are much more complicated, however, because his father's potential jaguar preserve is compromised with accidents. Jacob and his father aren't sure they can trust Silver, who they've had to hire, but there's a lot to do. This is a book filled with adventure and mystery. ( )

A boy goes to South America to live. ( )