A spellbinding young adult fantasy teaching world history! Jason discovers a magical world shaped by the past and haunted by creatures of legend. WINNER of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the London Book Festival. BRONZE MEDALIST in the Readers' Favorite Book Reviews & Awards Contest. History isn't names and dates -- it's an adventure. And so is THE JERICHO RIVER. David Tollen’s young adult fantasy takes you on a wild ride across the ancient world, the Middle Ages, and much more -- weaving real history and myth into an amazing adventure. The Jericho River flows through a magical world shaped by myth and history. Young Jason Gallo sails the river on a dangerous quest to rescue his father. He battles minotaurs and pirates, flees barbarians, stumbles into mummies' tombs, and outwits philosophers, fairies, and scientists. Jason's journey, however, is more than an adventure story. It's an expedition into history. The river flows like a timeline, carrying the young man through past lands -- Sumer, the pharaohs' Egypt, classical Greece, medieval Europe, and more -- winding its way through the ancient Middle East and Western Civilization. Professor Gallo, Jason's father, is a historian, and his notes outline the journey, revealing the truth about Cleopatra, King Arthur, and the fall of the Roman Empire. He explains how a French lawyer's son became king of Sweden, as well as the origins of coffee, the cat, chivalry, the Atlantis myth, and much more. Will Jason find his father in time to rescue his crumbling family? The Jericho River is a delightful, mystical romp through World History. Beginning with ancient Sumer and progressing rapidly to modern times, it is a useful gateway book which ... should encourage [young readers] to look deeper into the past and ultimately to assume the challenges of more traditional sources. The regular inclusions of excerpts from the lectures of William Gallo add to this appeal and are stimulating and thought provoking. ... [A] valuable tool for teachers and students in their continuing quest to study the past. -- Philip Bigler, 1998 National Teacher of the Year An inherently fascinating and absorbing novel ... [H]ighly recommended. -- Midwest Book Review The cast of characters in The Jericho River is huge, the canvas of history is enormous and the tale telling is ambitious. Many young people and adults would gain a great deal from reading Jericho River . The lecture notes interspersed throughout the text are very enjoyable and hold many nuggets of really entertaining and thought-provoking facts and opinions. Discourses range from thoughts on cherubs and bare back riding in the Bronze Age to the conversion of the Khazars to Judaism in the Dark Ages. It all seems to hang together and the wide range of ideas seem to sit happily side by side in this erudite and entertaining work. -- Graham Peacock, M.Ed, Principal Lecturer in Education, Sheffield Hallam University; author of The Oxford Primary Science Dictionary, Primary Science , and other works Wow. Just, wow. -- Amazon Top 500 Reviewer, 5-star review With historical excerpts woven throughout this story of myths and fantasy, I was intrigued from the beginning to the end. I wanted to go trekking along with Jason Gallo on his marvelous adventures as he met interesting characters along the way while also learning more about his father and himself. Hence, not only was this book wonderfully entertaining it was also a fabulous way to interest young people to learn more about the past, present, and possibly the future. -- Merwyden Suluai, 2010 American Samoa Teacher of the Year; Master Teacher Trainer, University of Hawaii I was learning new information and being thoroughly entertained with the action all at the same time. ... The historical situations were so engaging and action-packed, I would have enjoyed even more of this book; it was very well written and enjoyable. -- ZoeDessoye1, teen blogger at LitPick.com The Jericho River is an intriguing and fun way to learn history. Historical novels have often been a vehicle for this, but often they distort history. On the other hand, The Jericho River is a carefully researched and very accurate journey through Western Civilization that will appeal not only to the teenage audience but to adults as well. You can trust the accuracy of detail and depth of interpretation, and at the same time you learn history in an exciting manner and with an entertaining read. -- Robert J. Littman, M.Litt., Ph.D., Professor of Classics, University of Hawaii; author of The Greek Experiment and other works [Tollen] weaves historical information into this fast paced adventure, making learning about history fun for any reader. As an educator, I recommend The Jericho River for anyone looking to enhance an ancient civilization curriculum. -- Pamela Pizzimenti, teacher and author of The River Whispers David Tollen writes young adult fantasy novels the use history and science t