The Rapids. (HIP QuickRead). Paul Kropp. Illustrated by Catherine Doherty. Toronto, ON: HIP Books, 2015. 66 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-62-7. Grades 4 and up / Ages 9 and up. Review by Kay Weisman. **½ /4
	The Treasure. (HIP QuickRead). Paul Kropp. Illustrated by Catherine Doherty. Toronto, ON: HIP Books, 2015. 66 pp., pbk., $9.95. ISBN 978-1-926847-58-0. Grades 4 and up / Ages 9 and up. Review by Kay Weisman. **½ /4

excerpt:

My dad stood on a big rock. He held a piece of wood in one hand. The wood was burning at one end, like a torch.

"See, I'm the Statue of Liberty!" Dad shouted.

Timmy laughed. I guess that was funny to an eight-year-old.

And my dad laughed at his own joke. But not for long.

Dad's foot slipped on the wet rock. He seemed to lose his balance.

For a second, I thought he was still joking. I thought he was pretending to slip on the rock.

But this was no joke. Dad was falling.

"Dad!" Timmy cried.

There was nothing we could do. Dad fell head first and hit some rocks. Then he kind of rolled into the water. (From The Rapids.

These two titles offer high interest adventure and easy reading suitable for reluctant and struggling readers. In The Rapids, the male narrator, his dad, and his younger brother run into trouble on a backcountry canoe trip after Dad falls off a rock, injuring his head. The brothers do their best to get Dad back to civilization for medical help, but they are hindered by poor navigating skills, failure to properly secure their food (thus inviting a bear into their camp), and a set of rapids that dooms their efforts. Luckily their accident attracts the attention of some other campers who rescue the three.

      In The Treasure, friends Scott and Rico track down bully Clay Prentice who has taken Scott's backpack containing a treasure map. The friends decide Clay has gone to an abandoned coal mine to search for a cache of stolen money hidden by a bank robber 50 years ago. Because of several bad choices, all the boys end up in trouble in the mine and are forced to choose between saving the money or the bully in order to get out safely.

      The Rapids was adapted and abridged from Shooting the Rapids and The Treasure from 3 Feet Under, both previously published HIP-Jr. novels. The Rapids and The Treasure offer succinct text with simple sentences, large typeface, short chapters, and frequent black and white drawings. The plots are very action based, with little or no character development or setting details. The ages of the main characters are never revealed, thus making it easier for reluctant readers of any age to identify with the protagonists. Although the plots are basically identical, and the artwork, especially in The Treasure, can be difficult to decipher, these should prove accessible to reluctant teens in need of something to read. Three other titles are also available in this series: Ghost Hotel, Roller Coaster, and Crash. There is no indication that any of these further titles feature female characters.

Recommended.

Kay Weisman works as a youth services librarian at West Vancouver Memorial Library and chairs the Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada's Information Book Award.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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