Will Hobbs

Target audience: 10-14

I read this because it is assigned to a 6th grade class I work with. The kids aren't very far into the book, but they are already reading ahead (and we're scolding them) and asking us for more books like this.

I wish there were more books like this! It is both a high-interest adventure and a good non-judgmental look at the problems of illegal immigration. 15-year-old Rico is put in the awkward position of telling his friend's parents that his friend has left to cross show more the border to the United States. Rico thinks his friend is a crazy risk-taker, until he realizes that his families corn crop will not earn enough money to feed them. He decides he must go as well.

Hobbs has written a well-researched page turner. It covers many of the realities around immigration without dumbing it down too much or making it too brutal for his young adult audience. Bravo, and thank you Mr. Hobbs. show less

This is a terrific adventure story set in the Northwest Territories where two sixteen year olds and the uncle of one take a plane ride out of radio range. The inexperienced pilot landed the plane on a river near the top of a waterfall and then the engine stalled. The passengers were able to reach the river bank but the plane and pilot went over the falls. The boys, one from Texas, the other one aboriginal as well as his elderly uncle, had to spend the winter in the frigid conditions with show more little in the way of necessaries. Although the old man knew little English he was able to share his knowledge and using his old skills for Arctic living gave him some satisfaction and spiritual comfort. It was interesting to see the difference in characters and how they approached problems, of which there were many. I appreciated that Hobbs portrayed the respect Dene have for living creatures and the environment. Enthralling throughout.

Reading about the icy, snowy conditions was almost a physical relief as we in the British Columbia interior still suffer from record high temperatures, drought, and wildfires. show less

Many many moons ago, I used to be in charge of the children's section of our village library. I occasionally like to pick up a middle grade or young adult mystery to take a look at what's available for younger readers now, and I have to admit that I'm glad I chose Kokopelli's Flute. Will Hobbs has written an adventure that kept me hooked from first page to last.

First of all, there's the idyllic (to me) setting: the Seed Farm in the New Mexico section of the Four Corners, within walking show more distance of an ancient cliff dwelling. I immediately put myself in Tep's shoes as he and his dog Dusty (the best canine companion a child could ever have) would walk there to explore.

I also learned a lot about dry farming and the rare seed business. Another fact of life-- pot hunters who destroy ancient sites for the artifacts that they can sell-- provides some excellent suspense and action sequences at the beginning and end of the book.

There's some magic in this book that calls for a reader's willing suspension of disbelief, and although I didn't really buy into Tep's changing into an animal every night, I did enjoy those sections-- especially when Tep stopped panicking and started using his head.

Kokopelli's Flute starts out rather slowly but builds momentum to a satisfying conclusion. Tep is a good-hearted, smart boy, and at that age, I would've been his friend in a heartbeat. Part of me does wonder at how much children in the proper age range would actually enjoy this book. Something tells me the "city slickers" might find it boring, and that would be a shame. show less

“Since my grandmother died,” stated Rick Walker, the main character of Will Hobbs’s fictional novel, The Maze, “four years ago, I’ve been like a rat in a maze… I was only trying to survive, and I kept running into dead ends.” A modern day thriller, infused with the Ancient Greek myth of Icarus, The Maze, tells the fascinating tale of a fourteen year-old boy trying to find his place in life. Rick Walker, having just escaped from a youth detention center, finds himself out in show more Canyonlands National Park in Utah, stuck with Lon Peregrino, a bird biologist whose job is to release California Condors (a formerly endangered species, bred back to life by scientists) back out into the wild. Rick, not having anything better to do with his life at the time, decides to stay at Lon’s camp and help him out. However, one day, while Lon is off dealing with the condors, Rick is alone at the camp when two men drive up to the camp. Rick immediately hides from them, allowing him to overhear their conversation and in turn, realize that Lon’s condors are in grave danger.
Will Rick be able to find his way out of the maze that is his life? Will Hobbs answers this question in magnificent fashion, holding the reader’s attention held the entire way through this thrilling novel. Beyond creating beautiful imagery in the reader’s mind, Hobbs allows the reader to not only read about Rick Walker, but to truly experience what he is going through. As far as the themes of the book go, there are quite a few, and they are quite powerful. First of all, the book shows the progress over time as Rick slowly begins to discover who he is, and what his life means to him. Also, it illustrates the progression of the growth of Rick’s trust in Lon, steadily growing from near nothing to becoming the best of friends. Overall, I really enjoyed the book; I found it to be not only an interesting page-turner, but also quite powerful in its messages. It teaches the reader that one, no matter his/her current situation in life, can always change it for the better. -M.K. show less