Great review from cryptozoologist Jonathan Downes in Great Britian
I have spent sunday afternoon in bed, and rather than surrendering to the arms of Morpheus I have spent the time reading this smashing book. It is the sequel to a book called Cryptid Hunters and theirein lies a tale.
About six years ago, I started an e-mail friendship with a girl from Indiana. She is called Elizabeth Clem, and she has been the CFZ Indiana rep. ever since. When I went to Illinois in 2004 we met up, and she was just as much fun in person as she had been by e-mail, and our correspondence continues intermittently to this day.
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When Corinna and I got married two and a bit years ago, Elizabeth sent us some books as wedding presents, including the aforementioned Cryptid Hunter. I read it in a couple of evenings whilst recovering from our near-fatal carcrash back in September 2007. I was captivated. To give you a brief resume of the contents, here is a surprisingly inadequate synopsis from the author's website:
After their parents are lost in an accident, thirteen-year old twins Grace and Marty are whisked away to live with their Uncle Wolfe-an uncle that they didn't even know they had! The intimidating Uncle Wolfe is an anthropologist who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures believed to be long extinct.
That is a bit like describing Anna Karenina as being about `a couple of Russian chicks and some horse racing` but it will have to do, because I want you all to go out and buy both books rather than just relying on my sayso so there will be a dearth of spoilers in this review. I enjoyed the first book mightily, and empathised to a certain extent with the hero; a large, bearded semi-disabled bloke who liked animals more than people. So I wrote to the author who (to my embarrassment, turned out to have been one of our members all along). I am not in the habit of writing fan mail, and since the age of twenty-five I think I have only done it four times: to Wreckless Eric (who ignored me), Mr Biffo (who became a personal friend), Yoko Ono, (just after I wrote my first book 21 years back) who sent back a Christmas card, and Roland Smith, who to my delight wrote back saying:
I actually thought about you when I was developing Wolfe and Marty... There is a bit of you in both of them.
This made my day, and I sat back for the next two years or so waiting for the sequel. Well, its arrived, and it is even better than the first.
The first book was set at Lake Tele in The Republic of the Congo (for those of you who, like me, learned their geographgy from stamp collecting, this was the one that used to be the French Congo, rather than the other one which was originally Belgian, and then Zaire) and you cryptotypes who read this blog will not be at all surprised to learn that it was about Mokele Mbembe. It had a satisfyingly villainous villain, (Dr Noah Blackwood) but one who turned out to be a blood relation of one of the protagonists which introduces a levelk of moral ambiguity which makes the story interesting on a level above the well crafted derring-do of the plot.
The second is set in the oceans off New Zealand and concerns an attempt (succesful as it turns out) to capture a giant squid. But you rotter! I hear you all shout. You promised that there would be no spoilers. Well I lied. But only because the fact that the hunt is succesful becomes almost insignificant in the light of the other twists and turns that the plot takes.
For some reason, I was reminded of the late great Douglas Adams two books about Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency whilst reading this, because both authors seem to have a childlike delight in the wonders of new technology, and just like in the Dirk G books, Roland Smith keeps the new technological advances heralded in his prose completely believable, so that they are not even really within the realm of science fiction, although beyond the grip of known technology at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century.
The writing is tauter, darker, and - in places - nastier, than in the first book. Indeed, there is an undercurrent of elegant brutality which I find most engaging. I also like the way that the backfstory of the two main villains is beginning to unfold, underlining the thing that my dear wife says to me on the occasions that I get arsy about someone or someones, that there are two sides to every story.
Even my fictional alter ego appears to have got his money by doing a covert job for the American Government, at such a level that the anarchist in me (which is most of me, remember) tells me that it could not possibly have been something of which I would have approved.
I can't wait for the sequel, because unlike the first book, which could have been a stand alone novel, this one leaves a cliffhanger which means that a sequel is damn well unavoidable. But don't worry: If you want to read this one without having read the first, it works equally well as a stand-alone novel. But I make a guarantee - anyone who reads this book (whether or not they have read the first) will be sitting on the edge of their chair waiting for the next in the series..
Well done Roland (can it be China next, although I suspect it will be South America first)
In 1941, bombs drop from the night skies of London, demolishing the apartment Nick Freestone lives in with his mother. Deciding the situation in England is too unstable, Nick's mother sends him to live with his father in Burma, hoping he will be safer living on the family's teak plantation.
See a short clip about Elephant Run from Scholastic Book fairs.
But as soon as Nick arrives, trouble erupts in this remote Burmese elephant village. Japanese soldiers invade, and Nick's father is taken prisoner. Nick is stranded on the plantation, forced to work as a servant to the new rulers. As life in the village grows more dangerous for Nick and his young friend, Mya, they plan their daring escape. Setting off on elephant back, they will risk their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese POW camp.
In this thrilling journey through the jungles of Burma, Roland Smith explores the far-reaching effects of World War II, while introducing readers to the fascinating world of wild timber elephants and their mahouts.
Fourteen-year-old Nick Freestone is sent from London in 1941 by his mother to protect him from the German air raids. As he arrives in Burma to live with his father on the family teak plantation, he is thrust from one theatre of war directly into another. Though Nick had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to reconnect with his father and learn about the management of the family plantation, particularly the elephants used to harvest the teak, this is not to be. Now safe from the German army, he and his father are taken prisoner by the Japanese army. Nick is kept on as slave labor at the plantation while his father is sent to a POW camp nearby. Maya, the beautiful sister of one the plantation elephant handlers is imprisoned at the plantation as well. Her beauty draws her unwanted attention and puts her in danger. As one of her captors escalates his advances towards her, Nicks father is becoming sicker and sicker in the POW camp. Nick and Maya decide they must escape. With the help of a local monk and one of the plantation elephants, Nick and Maya attempt to escape, taking Nicks father with them. This book provides a moving story of a boy´s journey into manhood as well as an action-packed adventure that keeps the pages turning. It also provides a look at the innocent victims of war, the animals. The interactions between man and elephant in this book are fascinating. This is a great book to draw boys or reluctant readers into the realms of historical fiction.
Caroline B. Hopenwasser
It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for 14-year-old Nick Freestone, as he is sent out of London during the Blitz only to arrive at his father's teak plantation in Burma right before the Japanese invade. When his father is taken prisoner and hauled off to a prisoner-of-war camp and the plantation is taken over by the Japanese, Nick eventually escapes and reunites with his father with the help of an ancient Buddhist monk, a beautiful, smart girl named Mya, a Burmese Robin Hood, a rampaging bull elephant and various people resisting the Japanese occupation. It's the thrilling adventure tale Smith is known for, strong on plot and setting, and though the beginning is an uneasy mix of story and information, the tale soon rolls. Adult readers will be reminded of The Bridge on the River Kwai, as the threats of the steamy jungle and the brutality of enemy soldiers are twin complications in a country at war. An adventure tale that is also a family story-as is Smith's other 2007 title, Peak. (Fiction. 10-13) Kirkus Reviews
As German bombs fall on London, 14-year-old Nick is sent to Burma to live with his British father on their teak plantation. Unforeseen in this plan is the impending invasion that puts them, along with the locals, under Japanese rule. Nick is forced to work on the plantation for the brutal commanders and his father is placed in a labor camp. The boy's predicament escalates as his trust in the Burmese employees who once worked for his father is challenged by their newfound loyalty to the Japanese. Escape through the jungle, with the help of a well-respected monk and great-grandfather to the boy's new friend Mya, is the only way out. This novel is filled with intrigue, danger, surprising plot twists, and suspense. It´s a well-developed historical adventure with villains and heroes that describes aspects of British colonization, forced occupation, and World War II. School Library Journal
NEW interview with Roland from Scholastic about writing!
My new series, IQ just came out, preview the webpage! Book One is called: Independence Hall. Curriculum is ready too.
Thirteen-year-old Quest (Q for short) used to live with his mother, a singer, on a sailboat in Sausalito, California. Fifteen-year-old Angela lived with her father, a songwriter, in a loft in San Francisco. Now their parent are married and Q and Angela are on a luxury motor coach traveling around the country on tour with their parents' new band called Match. Their schoolwork for the year is a Web diary of their travels. Perfect… Q can practice his magic tricks and Angela can read her spy novels. What could go wrong? more
A video about I.Q. from Kay Hawkins, Texas Woman's University.
As Q and Angela settle into their new friendship as siblings, they notice certain things that are just too bizarre to be coincidence. How does a roadside named Boone find them in the middle of the desert where their coach just happens to break down? A mysterious man from the wedding keeps showing up in the same cities as they head across the country. Does he have anything to do with the mysterious death of Angela's mother, who had been a Secret Service agent? When they reach Philadelphia, Q and Angela realize that this tour is definitely not the trip their parents had planned and that the “City of Brotherly Love” is full of intrigue and secrets that could threaten their new life together.
Children's Literature Quest ("Q") Munoz, 13-year-old amateur magician, and Angela Tucker, 15-year-old Tae Kwon Do expert and amateur spy, have just become step-siblings. It's a good thing they get along, because only days after their folks tie the knot, they are pursued by Israeli (Mossad) spies. Speaking of spies, Angela's mom, who died in the line of duty four years earlier, was one of the best... or was she? Boone, the roadie/spy looking after them, tells Angela there is a 50/50 chance her mom is still alive! The plot thickens when they learn that Angela's mom had (has?) an identical twin who may (or may not) be terrorists! What's a girl to do? If it's Angela, the answer is risk her (and her stepbrother's) life to find the truth. To give away more would be criminal. This one is a humdinger! As with Jack's Run and Zach's Lie, Roland Smith has created an exciting page-turner, but he's outdone himself this time. Angela and Q make a terrific team, each using her and his respective talents in clever ways. First-person narrator Q also has a wonderful, dry sense of humor: "'I think I'm walking through a dead zone,' I said, hoping I wasn't being literal." This first entry in the cleverly named "I, Q" series leads right into the sequel. Let's hope it comes out soon.
Reviewer: Naomi Milliner at Barnes & Noble
Suspense draws reader in, The Leaf Chronicle Roland Smith's IQ is a page turner for the 21st century with a genuinely realistic feel. In this new globalize world, the good guys from different countries, or even within the same country, don't work together or trust each other. The bad guys are in small terrorist cells that could be embedded anywhere, in any country. Our heroes, Quest and Angela, feel like real kids trying to figure out how to forge their new relationship as step-siblings, albeit with the added thrill of very famous parents and ever deepening intrigue.
It was a pleasure to read a book for middle schoolers that is fast-paced, with great characters and dialogue, where the author cleverly restrains the amount gadgetry, gore, and personal grief, and relies on plot and characters to write a ripping good thriller.
Dara La Porte Manager: Children's and Teen's Department Politics and Prose Bookstore Washington, DC
"I love Roland smith's writing, and I,Q is one of his best. If Smith had been writing suspense novels when I was a teen, I'd have never had to discover Ian Fleming (James Bond); Roland Smith, with his new novel I,Q, has become an American Ian Fleming for young adults."
Terry Trueman, Author, Stuck In Neutral and Hurricane
Kirkus Reviews
Thirteen-year-old "Q,"or Quest, is at a life-changing moment. His singer-songwriter mother, Blaze, is marrying Roger, and together they have a hit album. The rocker couple plans a cross-country tour with the kids. A year out of school with only an online tutor leaves plenty of time for Q to practice his magic tricks and to get to know his new 15-year-old stepsister, Angela. The tour bus stops in Philadelphia, the parents exit to do their show-and Angela confides to Q that she believes they are being followed. With the help of Boone, a former roadie (and retired spook) who is now in charge of the kids, they realize that Angela is in danger: Her mother, a CIA agent believed to have perished in a terrorist attack, may still be alive. A blend of adventure, suspense, intelligently imagined characters and terrific authorial sleight-of-hand (not to mention Q's own card tricks) will keep readers engaged as the kids solve the mystery in this series opener. An interactive website is scheduled to launch with the book's release. (Fiction. 10-14)
Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. Curriculum is ready.
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He wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.
This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story . Booklist
If you know a recalcitrant reader, a teen or preteen perhaps, who swears that he could more easily scale Mount Everest than finish a novel, try handing him a copy of Peak. Christian Science Monitor
Deftly developed characters who matter and a gritty story line packed with the intrigue and challenge of serious mountain climbing for serious stakes make this book a riveting read for reluctant and experienced readers alike. VOYA
Peak's first-person narration, evolves into a gripping story that pulls no punches about the toll Everest exacts on body and psyche alike. Horn Book
The narrative offers enough of a bumpy ride to satisfy thrill seekers while Peak's softer reflective quality lends depth and…emotional resonance. Kirkus
…the perfect antidote for a kid who thinks books are boring. The nifty plotting, gripping story line and Peak's assured delivery give those who join this expedition much to savor.Publisher's Weekly
A well-crafted plot and exotic setting give the novel great appeal to survival adventure fans. School Library Journal
Magnificent, enthralling, and entertaining. Peak's journey is about much more than the character's assent of a mountain . Pam Munoz Ryan , author of Esperanza Rising
Everything a great adventure story should be and a whole lot more—with powerful, unforgettable characters and a driving can't-put-it-down plot. Terry Trueman, author of Stuck in Neutral
Here´s a wonderful review from my friend Jonathan Downes–fearless leader of the Centre For Fortean Zoology in the latest edition of The Journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. You can visit their webpage to learn about cryptids and cryptozoology.
Whereas most review books turn up in these columns because either we have learned about the book somewhere, and telephoned up the publisher to blag a copy, or because either the author or publisher has sent us a copy on spec hoping that we would be interested. This review, however, is unique in my 20 odd years of writing book reviews, because I received it as a wedding present! When Corinna and I got married last summer, amongst our wedding gifts was this book, from our friend, and CFZ Indiana representative, Elizabeth Clem. We thanked her, and the book joined the teetering pile of books waiting to be read which graces my side of the marital bed.
Much to my embarrassment, it was only a few days in bed with a bug about three weeks ago that spurred me into finally reading it, and I have only one word for it: MAGNIFICENT. I am not a fan of crypto-fiction as a whole, and to be quite honest I find much contemporary juvenilia too refined and PC for my liking, but this book is a veritable tour de force. It tells the story of twelve year old twins who – following the disappearance of their parents – go to live with an eccentric uncle who happens to be a cryptozoologist. They soon find themselves embroiled in a life and death struggle to find the last clutch of the eggs of the Mokèlè-mbembè, and save them from a satisfyingly nasty corporate villain.
The hero, Wolfe, is unusual, in that he is a disabled, big bloke with long hair and an unkempt beard. Being such a fellow myself, I am always pleased when authors resist the temptation to make their characters identikit G.I. Joes, with short back and sides, and bodies in perfect working order.
So I checked out the author´s website, and wrote to him, and it turned out that Senor Smith is actually a member of the CFZ. To might slight embarrassment, but great pride, he wrote: "I actually thought about you when I was developing Wolfe and Marty. There is a bit of you in both of them." It is all very gratifying, but I hope that you realize what you have done Mr. Smith! My nieces and nephews will never be satisfied with jut paying a visit to Uncle Jon now – they will all demand adventures like this one!
A smashing book. Despite my unwitting role within it, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Jonathan Downes
Read Jack's Run! Sequel to my bestselling, award winning novel, Zach's Lie!
When Jack Osborne's father was arrested for drug trafficking, he agreed to tell the authorities everything he knew about his ex-boss, the ruthless drug czar Alonzo Aznar. more
But betraying a man as powerful as Alonzo has consequences. The Osbornes have spent the last year in hiding, forced to take on new identities and live under the close surveillance of the Witness Security program. Now, with his trial date fast approaching, Alonzo intensifies his hunt for Jack's family. One slipup, and Alonzo will find them, making sure no Osborne survives to testify against him. Jack has messed up once before, and he won't do it again. Unfortunately, someone else in the family hasn't been as careful...Read the first chapter of Jack's Runhere. The paperback version is now available at Amazon, Barnes&Noble or Powells.
If you get a chance to read it, drop me an email and let me know what you think. Or, post a message on the message board. And don't forget my other adventure that came out this year, "Cryptid Hunters." I would love to hear what think about this novel as well.
I can make the official announcement now… Today I was given the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award presented Children’s Services Division of the Oregon Library Association.
S is for Smithsonian: American’s Museum Alphabet, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. It’s a beautiful book that took a tremendous amount research and a long time to write. The book comes out on April 1st but you can order it HERE at a good price.
Thirteen-year-old Quest Munoz is known as Q and wants to be a magician someday. His mother, Blaze, who is a singer, marries a man named Roger, who is also a songwriter-singer. His daughter is 15-year-old Angela. Her mother, Malak, was a Secret Service agent, and Angela excels in observation and Tae Kwon Do.more
Gr 5–8—Since the disappearance of Marty's parents, he and his cousin Grace have lived with her father, the renowned cryptozoologist Travis Wolfe. This sequel to Cryptid Hunters (Hyperion, 2005) begins with Wolfe mounting an expedition in search of a mythological giant squid. Marty, his friend Luther, and Grace join the crew aboard the Coelacanth, a refitted freighter. Unknown to Wolfe, however, his archenemy Noah Blackwood is in hot pursuit, determined to steal the gigantic creature and destroy Wolfe and his reputation. Add hatching dinosaur eggs, a manic chimpanzee, cool gadgets, a nifty undersea nuclear submarine, ruthless villains, murder, and sabotage to the mix and you've got a high-octane page-turner that will reel readers in and keep them riveted. Several unanswered questions suggest another sequel may be in the works, which will make Smith's fans very happy.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
Roland's new short story, 'Ol Dirty Nose, is featured in the April/May StoryWorks. The StoryWorks Magazine is a wonderful publication. This is Roland's 5th story for them.
A Poem by Katie Amster
Welcome
Today we welcome Roland Smith, the writer,
Whose books have made our days much brighter.
He's taken us to jungles and to new heights,
Introduced us to cryptids and all kinds of cool sights.
He showed us that friendships are more important than fame
That family is everything, and that spying's no game.
A moleskine full of sentences become ALA Best Books
in his novels a situation is not always as it looks.
Roland is a photographer, and he worked years in a zoo,
His advice is to write about what matters most to you.
Roland tells about the sea otter, red wolf and elephant
His comments on the environment are really quite relevant.
His works are page-turners, we can't put them down,
Roland Smith, we are so happy you came to our town.
While we anxiously await the next book of I,Q.
I can assure you the white wing is thrilled to meet you...
Austin
I was signing books at Barnes and Noble in February. As I was signing a woman came up and gave me a letter. I didn't have time to read the letter right then so I asked for her to give me her email address. The next night as I was waiting for a flight I pulled the letter out and read it. It was so heartwarming I just had to post it here along with the photos she sent after I emailed my response. When I write a novel I try to create readers. Austin is one of main reasons I write books. more
February 19, 2009
Dear Mr. Smith,
You helped to change my son's life. That is not an overstatement, just a simple truth.
They only way I know to thank you is to share a little of his story so that you might know the impact of your work.
Austin is a child living with autism. Because of hard work and the efforts of many amazing people, he is currently attending a typical middle school as a typical student. This is an astounding development given that we were told he would most likely need to be institutionalized and would never be able to live independently.
After 31/2 years in a self-contained building with little to no curriculum, we finally got Austin moved to a typical elementary school (Cedar Ridge Elementary in Columbia, Mo). He was placed with Karen, an amazing learning specialist experienced in working with children with autism.
When Austin arrived in Karen's classroom in October of what should have been his 5'th grade year, he was barely reading on an end of 1'st grade/beginning 2'nd grade level. Seven months later Austin was reading on a 4'th grade level.
The tool Karen used to engage Austin was your book "Zack's Lie". Prior to her introducing him to your books he resisted and refused reading. Once he started there was no stopping him. He went on to "Jack's Run" and several of your other books.
As it happened you were to be at a literacy fair on the Mizzou campus that year. Austin read and did projects on 5 books so that he could attend and see you. It was the highlight of his year.
Austin spent an extra year with Karen and when he graduated from 5'th grade last year, he was reading on a 9'th grade level.
A large part of why he learned to read was because your book reached him. The ability to read has changed his future dramatically. His options are now endless.
Thank you for your part in Austin's amazing success.
My latest book Tentacles is now available.
Great review from cryptozoologist Jonathan Downes in Great Britian
My new series, IQ just came out, preview the webpage! Book One is called: Independence Hall. Curriculum is ready too.
Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. Curriculum is ready.
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This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story . Booklist 
Click screen to see a short clip of me talking about Peak for Scholastic Book Fairs.
Winner - 2007 Nevada Young Reader's Award.
Read Jack's Run! Sequel to my bestselling, award winning novel, Zach's Lie!
Zach's Lie won the Minnesota 
I can make the official announcement now… Today I was given the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award presented Children’s Services Division of the Oregon Library Association.
S is for Smithsonian: American’s Museum Alphabet, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. It’s a beautiful book that took a tremendous amount research and a long time to write. The book comes out on April 1st but you can order it HERE at a good price.
Watch this funny video review of Tentacles.
I.Q. Book One was reviewed by Focus on the Family:
Roland interviewed on AM Northwest about TENTACLES.
I was signing books at Barnes and Noble in February. As I was signing a woman came up and gave me a letter. I didn't have time to read the letter right then so I asked for her to give me her email address. The next night as I was waiting for a flight I pulled the letter out and read it. It was so heartwarming I just had to post it here along with the photos she sent after I emailed my response. When I write a novel I try to create readers. Austin is one of main reasons I write books. more
This newest picture book may be ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells. Curriculum is ready.
Another picture book in the Alphabet series may be ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells.