Will Hobbs

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

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

10th grader Gabe Rogers heads to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to be nearer his father who is drilling for diamonds in a remote region. After his mother's death nine years earlier, he's lived primarily with his grandparents in Texas. He wants to see the north about which his dad talks. At his boarding school, his roommate is a boy from one of the Dene villages. Gabe's father arranges for Gabe to fly with a bush pilot one weekend. The flight just happens to be when his roommate Raymond show more decides to return to his village along with Johnny Raven, an older man from the village who had been in the hospital in Yellowknife. The pilot makes some unwise decisions and suddenly only Gabe, Raymond, and Johnny are left to survive in the extreme cold. It's a great story of survival for middle age readers, especially boys. The story kept me captivated. I stayed up later than I had intended just to finish the story in one sitting. 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