Take Me to the River

Take me to the river written by Will Hobbs describes the action packed adventure of Dylan Sands, a sheltered 14 year old boy from North Carolina visiting his cousin Rio in a ghost town along the Texas-Mexican border. Dylan narrates his summer trip that’s already off to a rocky start as he must hitchhike to his final destination. Upon arrival he realizes his Uncle is out of town for work leaving the cousins to fend for themselves. A self-regulating Rio manages to convince Dylan they can still take the week long ride along the famous Rio Grande River without any supervision. The teens soon find themselves in a challenging expedition along the river in the midst of a hurricane and a U.S military special operation. This novel, with its show more fast pace will appeal to many reluctant readers especially young boys. Young adults will relate to the immortal sprit of Rio or the precautious vibe of Dylan. The Spanish text and unnecessary characters might be somewhat of a distraction, yet rich descriptive vocabulary transports the reader right into the raft paddling along. I enjoyed the relationship between the cousins and the powerful bond formed through the theme of survival when the two become face to face with the heroic task of ditching a fugitive killer and saving a young hostage. This Junior Library Guild Selection will give students a perspective of overcoming impossible situations and obstacles with a determination to live. Grade 6 and up. show less

A summer vacation canoeing and rafting in the Big Bend National Park, for Dylan this sounds like a great way to spend the summer. His uncle and cousin, who are river rats, will make sure Dylan is safe and has a great time.

Unfortunately once Dylan arrives, he finds that his uncle is in Alaska and his cousin Rio hasn't bothered to tell him about that little detail. However, Dylan is already there and decides to go for it and that what his parents don't know won't hurt him.

Rio and Dylan get ready and start off on their journey. They wind up having to deal with Hurricane Dolly which has the river depths running at an all time high, dangerously so. But that isn't even the worst of their problems. Drug cartel thugs kill two judges at a resort show more near the river they are rafting in. One of the criminal takes a hostage and manages to escape to the river. Guess who Dylan and Rio run into?

Put this all into one pot and watch it boil, hotter and higher than either teen could even imagine. Will they survive Dolly and Carlos or are they goners?

This was one of those kind of books that pulls you into the action quickly. Rio and Dylan make a good team. They've never met, but they become good friends almost immediately. Both are just a little anxious to take risks, yet are still good at thinking out their strategies and figure out the best/safest way to get out of a jam. They show a maturity that is impressive and they are brave and willing to risk their lives to save the young hostage, Diego. They are the kind of teens, I think most YAs would like to think they would be if they were caught in this kind of dangerous situation.

I enjoyed the white knuckle action and kept turning the pages to find out how it ended. If you enjoy action and heroes, you'll like this new offering by Will Hobbs. show less

Big Kid Reaction: To me, the blurb on the back cover said "page turner." Unfortunately, the story itself fell flat. The initial impression of Dylan's ncle is that he is not stable / good provider. So when Dylan arrives in Texas and Uncle Alan is gone, I thought this was a scam and that he had ulterior motives. It left me uncomfortable and I disnegaged from the characters the rest of the way.

Pros: Adventure and mystery lovers will enjoy this combination of an action-packed river trip and the case of "who's the boy?"

Cons: If your reader tends to make dangerous choices, then you may want to read this together. The boys make some irresponsible decisions and while there is a happy ending here, that isn't always real life.

To read our full show more review, go to The Reading Tub®. show less

Take Me To The River is an action packed book with many twist and turns that they have to overcome to complete their journey on the river. Dylan,the main character, travels to Texas to visit his uncle and cousin.when they meet up he soon discovers that only himself and his cousin Rio will be the only two riding the river.Soon after the two start their journey along the river they run into problems that take them offcourse of their planned route.this is the kind of book that urges you to read more.At the end of every chapter you cant help but to read the next.Overall this book is an excellent book for middle grade student and is easy to process. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a fast paced and thrilling book. This show more book is for sure a must read to all. show less

This was a very fun river rafting adventure with a fugitive thrown in to make it even more interesting. Fans of the Hatchet books should enjoy this book.

Take me to the river is a great book that consists of many problems. Dylan wants to go visit his cousin and his uncle in New Mexico. His uncle told him that he would pick him up at the theater but somebody calls them and tells Dylan that he cant pick him up so he has to get a bus to the dinner where he is. He gets to dinner and doesn't see anybody but this guy that looks his age. They introduce them selfs and find out that they are cousins. They talk and Rio tells Dylan important news and Dylan gets frustrated. They go to Rio's house and when they get there they decide what they want to do. Rio says they can go down the river. When they get to the river they find that something bad has happened but they don't find out what happen till show more they get down the river and have already ran into trouble. read the book to find out what happens to Rio and Dylan. show less

Take me to the river is a great book that consist of many problems. The first problem is that Dylan wants to visit his cousin and uncle in new mexico when he gets to the theater