Alexander Cold knows all too well his grandmother Kate is never far from an adventure. When International Geographic commissions her to write an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa, they head -- with Nadia Santos and the magazine's photography crew -- to the blazing, red plains of Kenya. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches their camp in search of his companions who have mysteriously disappeared. Kate, Alexander, Nadia, and their team, agreeing to aid the rescue, enlist the help of a local pilot to lead them to the swampy forests of Ngoubé. There they discover a clan of Pygmies who unveil a harsh and surprising world of corruption, slavery, and poaching. Alexander and Nadia, entrusting the magical strengths of Jaguar and Eagle, their totemic animal spirits, launch a spectacular and precarious struggle to restore freedom and return leadership to its rightful hands. The final installment of Isabel Allende's celebrated trilogy of the journeys of Jaguar and Eagle soars with radiant settings, spirits, beings -- and the transformation of an extraordinary friendship. Grade 7-10–In the final installment of a trilogy that began with City of the Beasts (2002) and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon (2004, both HarperCollins), 18-year-old Alexander Cold, his globe-trotting journalist grandmother, and their 15-year-old friend, Nadia, travel to Kenya to take an elephant safari. Soon, the party takes a detour to the jungle to find some missing missionaries, and, in the process becomes embroiled in a messy bit of business. It involves a military man who has taken over a village and terrorized and enslaved the local Bantu and Pygmy tribes. Although this adventure can stand alone, the amazing abilities of Alexander and Nadia (which include turning into their "totems" of a jaguar and an eagle, talking with animals, and becoming invisible) may strike newcomers to the series as somewhat jarring, not to mention rather too convenient to the plot. The language can be lyrical and several of the characters (especially Angie, the almost-fearless female African pilot) are charismatic, but too often the emotions and personalities of Alexander and Nadia are narrated in long passages instead of shown through action and dialogue, creating an emotional distance that detracts from an otherwise fine adventure tale. Buy where the first two books are popular. –Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 8-11. In the final installment of the trilogy that began with City of the Beasts (2002), Alexander, now 18, acknowledges that he feels "vaguely ridiculous, as if he were in some Tarzan movie." Unfortunately, that sums up what's disappointing in this story. Alex and his friend, Nadia, travel to Africa on a new International Geographic expedition with Alex's tough grandma, Kate. In the jungle, they help to save primitive Pygmies from slavery and annihilation by a savage, ridiculous tyrant, who wears a necklace of human fingers. Eventually, in a David versus Goliath chapter, a Pygmy warrior defeats the powerful ruler. Allende's narrative, translated from the Spanish, does show some diversity in Africa, and she individualizes a few local people, especially the women (including a fiercely independent Kenyan pilot). But the constant use of convenient magical realism removes all tension from the plot. There is never any doubt that the amulets and totems will help the good guys win. What will hold readers are the close encounters with elephants, crocodiles, snakes, and gorillas. Forget the people. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Magic realism is blended throughout in a richly detailed narrative. Highly recommended.” (VOYA) “This tense tale has memorable characters and lots of action and excitement.” (KLIATT) Isabel Allende is the bestselling author of eleven works of fiction, four memoirs, and three young- adult novels, which have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages with over 57 million copies sold. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award in 2012. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California. Nacida en Perú y criada en Chile, Isabel Allende es la autora de nueve novelas incluyendo más recientemente Zorro , Retrato en Sepia , Hija de la Fortuna e Inés del Alma Mía . También ha escrito cuentos cortos, tres libros autobiográficos incluyendo Mi País Inventado y Paula , y una trilogía de libros para jóvenes. Sus libros han sido traducidos a más de 27 idiomas y son bestsellers a través del mundo entero. En 2004, fue nombrada a la Academia de Artes y Letras de los Estados Unidos. Vive en California.