Rain forest relay

Educational and team-building adventures in the Amazon kick off a series dubbed Race the Wild that stirs generous dollops of factual information into a fictional TV-show-sponsored competition to spot wildlife in various habitats. Here the Red Team's Russell, Sage, Mari, and Dev bond as they race to beat rival teams of young peers to sightings of capybaras, a glass frog, and other rain-forest creatures. Occasional embedded info-dumps with images and maps offer background on topics from the rain-forest canopy levels to profiles of such distinctive residents as the pale-throated three-toed sloth and the squirrel cuckoo. Along with zoological wonders, the race offers exciting challenges aplenty. As something extra for readers to ponder, Earhart also tucks in a thorny ethical issue when Russell discovers that another team is cheating but said team is composed of his friends from back in the States. What to do? Stay tuned.--Peters, John Copyright 2015 Booklist

Gr 2-4-When Russell and his four friends enter The Wild Life Rain Forest Relay competition deep in the Amazon, he assumed that they would be teamed together. The prize is one million dollars, but now he is halfway across the world and his friends have been put on another team. With each clue comes survival challenges, brain puzzles, and adventure. Russell must rely on his skills and those of his team members to survive. To make matters worse, the boy discovers that his friends have been spying on him and cheating. Feeling betrayed, RusseIl doesn't know what to do. Should he tell his team members? Some of the words seem a little forced and the author tells more than she shows. The plot, however, is well-paced and engaging. The facts used to solve the clues are fun but not overwhelming, and even provide a few twists. Illustrations are detailed and complement the text. Characters are likable, if a bit flat. VERDICT Fans of survival stories, adventure, puzzles, and mystery will enjoy this book.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From RACE THE WILD #1: RAIN FOREST RELAYRussell saw the movement in the leaves. He grabbed Mari's hand and took off, trying to get as far from the jaguar cub as possible. He knew that the cub would be the mother's first concern. Russell thought it was a good thing that the team had split up and gone in two different directions. "Meet at the boat!" Sage's voice seemed to fade as she and Dev ran down the path. Russell and Mari forged deeper in the forest. They ran until they had to stop, Russell's shallow breath burning in the back of his throat. "I can't believe we saw a jaguar. They're incredibly endangered and very private animals." While Mari was marveling about their good fortune, Russell was thinking that their fortune was not so good at all. Looking around, he realized how foolish they had been. They had run without thinking, without noting landmarks. "I still hear something," Russell said. The rainforest was always full of sound, but this was the sound of a large group of animals: leaves rustling, twigs breaking. "Come on," he said, grabbing Mari's hand again. He jogged, skirting fallen branches. He stopped. "I still hear it." That's when he saw the tree. It's top branches opened like a giant green umbrella in the sky, nearly 200 feet high. But Russell was interested in the base. He pulled Mari toward it. Many leg-like roots sprouted from the trunk, making the tree look like a sea monster rising from the wet earth. Russell didn't care. He had seen a gap between the gnarled roots. Ducking down, he tried not to think of the hundreds of species that would call a dark hollow like this home. He pulled off his backpack and slid through the opening. It was dark, and the damp air smelled rich. "A good predator could sniff us out in here," Mari insisted. Russell brought his finger to his lips. "A good predator wouldn't break twigs," he whispered, "telling us it was close."He knew Mari understood. He had thought it was the jaguar following them at first, too, but jaguars were too clever to be detected. Russell knelt down, hidden by the shadows, and listened. Beyond the soft scurrying and odd, dripping sounds under the tree, he could hear something else. There were voices, coming closer. Excerpted from Race the Wild #1: Rain Forest Relay by Kristin Earhart All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.