Andreo's Race

February 15, 2015
A challenging endurance event provides an adopted teen with the perfect opportunity to track down his birth mother. Still afflicted with frequent nightmares about being stolen 16 years before, Andreo eagerly agrees to join his strangely reticent adoptive parents in a seven-day "adventure race" set, conveniently, in the very area of Bolivia in which he was born. The race itself-which involves segments of mountain biking, trekking, canoeing and even caving-makes absorbing reading but serves largely as a backdrop to Andreo's stubborn pursuit of his Quechua birth mother's identity. Beginning with confirmation that he was a black-market baby, his quest leads to involvement with a baby-trafficking ring, puts him in considerable danger but also ultimately brings him face to face with his birth mother, who does not react as he expects her to. In a strenuous effort to engineer happy endings all round (except for the traffickers), Withers contrasts this scene with a different reception given to a similarly adopted teen who is shoehorned into the cast. She closes her tale with a round of fulsome apologies that neatly cements Andreo's troubled relationship with his adoptive family. The issues-driven plotline is superimposed rather forcibly on the athletic one-but both feature suspenseful, character-changing incidents. (Fiction. 11-13)

March 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-This action-packed book revolves around the topics of adventure races and illegal adoptions, managing to make both interesting and highly readable. Sixteen-year-old Andreo was adopted as a baby, and his family's upcoming team adventure race in Bolivia is a chance for him to learn more about his origins. When his friend and fellow adoptee Raul discovers that they may have been stolen as babies from their rightful parents, the pair resolve to investigate during the race. Andreo navigates through nighttime cycling, awkward family dynamics, and wanted criminals in his search for his birth mother. The experience of adventure racing is brought to life in the story, with readers experiencing the intensity of training and competition through Andreo. The excitement of the sport is mirrored by his emotional hunt for clues leading to his birth family, and his discoveries and achievements are well paced. Andreo's imperfect relationship with his adoptive family is the most strained part of the story but works as a plot device, and is resolved in the all's-well ending. VERDICT The simple, straightforward language, surprise twist, and nonstop action will appeal to reluctant readers looking for a thrilling novel.-Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

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