Thunder Cave

When his mother is killed in an accident and his stepfather wants to dump him with his least favorite relatives, fourteen-year-old Jacob Lansa decides to leave New York City to search for his father, a field biologist studying elephant behavior in Kenya. Once in Kenya, Jacob attempts to cross the bush on bicycle, but his journey nearly ends when he comes face-to-face with a lion, and again after he suffers from severe dehydration. But he is rescued by Supeet, a Masai with a quest of his own: to end the drought that is devastating his country. Together the pair embark on a perilous and unpredictable journey through the Kenyan bush.

Roland Smith is the author of many award-winning books for young readers. His novels include The Last Lobo, Zach’s Lie, which won the Nevada Young Reader’s Award and was an ALA Quick Pick; Jaguar, a Nebraska Golden Sower Award-winner, and Sasquatch. He lives with his wife on a farm near Portland, Oregon.