Raging River. (Take It to the Extreme, #1). Pam Withers. North Vancouver, BC: Walrus Books/Whitecap Books, 2003. 174 pp., pbk., $8.95. ISBN 1-55285-510-4. Subject Heading: Rafting (Sports)-Juvenile fiction. Grades 7-12 / Ages 12-17. Review by Andrea Klepatz. ***1/2 /4

excerpt:

Unknowingly selecting a line just left of where Peter had dropped into the hole, Jake sprinted like a madman and threw himself into the massive wave, felt himself enveloped by the tempest, felt his bow plunge deeply into its heart. Even as the far wall of water slowed his kayak to a near standstill, Jake lifted one arm high and speared the wave again, this time with a forward reach of his paddle blade, grabbing for a hold inside the angry curler. "Gotcha," he thought. "I'm yours, and you're mine. Now what're you going to do?" For a microsecond, his boat stalled against the wet, swollen lip. Then it tilted upwards, straining for an exit, fighting against a backward slide into the center. Jake closed his eyes and leaned further forward, hanging on like a rodeo performer on a bucking bronco. As his arm muscles stretched to a snapping point, he kept his blade deep in the monster's belly until slowly, that blade lifted him, boat and all, over the frothy white and into gray sky, green shoreline, and calm eddies. He was out of the canyon! With heaving chest, he shook the water from his eyes and scanned the river.

Life has not been easy for 15-year-old Jake Evans and his mother since his dad walked out on them a few years ago. Now, Jake lives for extreme outdoor sports, and he dreams of making the Canadian National Kayaking team. In order to pay for his sport, he works for a white water rafting company. In contrast, Jake's longtime friend-turned archival, Peter Montpetit, has it easy, or so Jake thinks. Peter has already made the US National kayaking team, and Jake is bitter about the advantages that Peter's family is able to afford. Their rivalry mounts when the boys are thrown together during a white water rafting trip down BC’s Cattibone River. Jake works for his keep while Peter and his family take the trip as a vacation. After a series of disasters that leave the rafting party stranded, the boys must set aside their differences and work together. The boys are tested to the limit physically and mentally when they kayak through fierce rapids in order to reach help.

     Pam Withers has written a fast-paced, action-packed adventure story. She has managed to convey the thrill of kayaking through her painstaking attention to authentic details. Readers can almost feel the spray of water on their face as they read.

     Raging River has a wide appeal both to males and females, especially sports enthusiasts. The thrill of white water rafting and kayaking will be riveting to readers. However, Withers has also paid close attention to the development of her characters, carefully crafting realistic characters to whom her readers will easily relate and about whom they will want to continue to read.

Highly Recommended.

Andrea Klepatz works as a Social Worker in Winnipeg, MB, and is currently finishing a Bachelor of Education degree.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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