Tracker's Canyon

June 1, 2017
Tristan enters British Columbia's Swallow Canyon on an expedition feeling a mix of trepidation and excitement. His father and climbing teacher, Julian, disappeared there eight months before. Since then, Tristan's mother has sunk into depression. Her in-home caregiver has charged the white teen with retrieving some item of Julian's for his mother to grieve over in the absence of a body. Tristan's guide, Brigit, also white, has another goal. Her depiction as the villain of the piece is an unfortunate choice. Mentally ill Brigit has gone off her medications and blames Julian for her mother's death. Tristan is her pawn. The deeper they go into the canyon, the more layers Tristan uncovers about Julian's last trip. It seems that Julian was, with Brigit's mother, searching for gold. Tristan is a believably grieving, dutiful son--a sympathetic character trying to untangle a complicated web. Clues and revelations are well-plotted and the setting, cinematic. Descriptions of the extreme sport of canyoneering, a combination of rock climbing, cliff diving, and caving, are thrilling. In comparison, Brigit's portrayal as an unbalanced predator lacks nuance. Casting a mentally ill character as the villain sounds an unsatisfactory note in an otherwise easy, fast-paced adventure/mystery. (Mystery. 12-16)

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August 1, 2017

Gr 6-9-Tristan is a 16-year-old from the Pacific Northwest whose dad has disappeared in a canyoneering tragedy. His mom has suffered a collapse as a result, and Tristan is trying to keep the household together with a little help from his equally overwhelmed uncle. Though Tristan misses canyoneering, he has no time or money for his favorite activity that also served as his connection to his father-until a new guide in town enables him to join some of her expeditions. This novel traces the ways in which Tristan, who is a survivor by multiple definitions, remembers his dad's advice to "embrace calm" and finds a path forward for his mom and himself. The story that unfolds is a fusion of contemporary adventure, mystery, and detective fiction, with several dark possibilities close to the surface. This is not a novel for the faint of heart. Its realism makes for moments of palpable danger and doubt. But the story is grounded in the author's experience and research. The prose is easy and clear and the main character is thoughtful and likable. The book is heavier on plot than character development. Tristan's level of chill-his forgiveness of bad behavior-is a touch extreme, though the author does set that up as part of the tracker ethos. The mother is little more than a plot device. The conclusion that emerges is neither predictable nor outlandish, and while it ties up loose ends, it is not cloyingly tidy. VERDICT A great choice for filling the dearth of realistic adventure novels for the middle school crowd and a solid mystery.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL

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