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Nov 06, 2010

karen rated it:

if you know me, you know i am a fan of teen survival fiction. well, any survival fiction, but usually teen fiction is written with more immediacy and doesn't use the genre to mask any deeper metaphors. it is what it is - live through this, or don't. no need for anything deeper, just primal, keep-breathing stuff. so with this one, i thought i was getting an untapped goldmine: a program for "bad kids" which forces them to hike and raft and climb and grind out their energies, redirecting More...

88 comments like (27 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2008

Renee rated it:

English 425 Submitter’s name: Renee Hess
Book Bank Book Bank subject: Novel Approach

Reference information:
Title: Downriver
Author: Will Hobbs
Publisher: Dell Laurel-leaf Year: 1996
# of pages: 204 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: ages 11 and up
Potential hot lava:
A few curse words, drinking, running away, and stealing

General response/reaction:
I truly liked this book. It was full of excitement and it More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 27, 2008

Seth rated it:

This book was absolutely crazy. The main character a girl named Jessie was placed in a trouble makers camp by her father. There a man by the name of al was in charge. At the camp they had to complete task like climbing up mountains and other kinds of trials in the woods. At one point they went rafting which Jessie and all her other trouble making friends loved. They soon decided that they wanted to steal Al's boats and supplies and go illegally without a permit to travel down the Colorado Rive More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 02, 2011

Sarah rated it:

This book was one of the books my teacher made us read during this school year. My friend read it when i was reading Tuesdays with Morrie and he said Downriver was really good. And it turned out it was.

Down River is about this camp kids go to that might be in trouble with the law or if their parents just want to send them to this camp. They all go river rafting for one of their trips and it turned out that the teens liked it so when their camp instructor went into the gas station all More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 08, 2008

Abby rated it:

Jessie is put out when her father forces her into a "wilderness therapy" program. He's convinced she's hanging out with the wrong crowd and is on a path to self-destruction. Jessie knows that if he would just get off her back, things would be okay. Camp is pretty lame, but things take a turn for the better when Jessie and her new friends decide to set off on their own rafting down the Colorado River. But can these kids survive the rapids without their guide?

The story, rife wi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 10, 2009

James rated it:

When Jessie is sent to a wilderness program for juvenile delinquents, she begins to think that her dad just wants to get rid of her. At first she wants nothing to do with the other kids, let alone Al, the group's leader. But when the other kids decide to steal Al's gear and go rafting down the Colorado River alone, she is all for it. With no adults, no river guides, and no fear, the kids set out to conquer the Grand Canyon. It doesn't take long for the kids to realize that they are in over their More...

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Jan 28, 2012

KelliK rated it:

The opening paragraph got me solidly hooked. It was a fun read. I really liked the way the characters evolved- it was very realistic growth and group dynamics. Think of eight delinquent teenagers in the wilderness, determined to have some adventure. And some raging adventure they did have. I'm not quire ready to go skydiving or white water rafting myself, but living vicariously was entertaining.

I was a bit confused at times because some details seemed very inconsistent. There were al More...

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Mar 20, 2010

Heidi rated it:

In 7th grade, Will Hobbs came to my Jr High School and held an assembly. I was so taken with the man (who could communicate with my age group in a non-condesending manner yet maintain maturity) that the only thing I asked for for Christmas that year were his books, particularly Downriver. My mother's friend did one better, she sent for signed copies.

Then I read Downriver. I'm not sure how he did it, but Will tapped into my life and wrote about it. The strange thing is, for years af More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 24, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

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Apr 03, 2008

Mark added it

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Feb 14, 2008

Kelly rated it:

General response/reaction:
I enjoyed this book and have even considered reading the sequel to the book.

Subject, Themes, and Big Ideas:
- Surviving the Teenage years
- Making the right or wrong decision and its consequences
- Growing up
- Affects of a parent re-marring after their spouse has died
- Following the leader vs. being a leader

Characters:
Jessie: The main character who the story is told from the point of view of. She is in the p More...

0 comments like

Apr 25, 2008

Katy rated it:

Reference information:
Title Downriver
Author Will Hobbs
Publisher Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers
Year 1991
# of pages 204
Genre Fiction
Reading level 13-16
Interest level 13-16
Potential hot lava: Underage drinking.

General response/reaction: I think it’s a good, attention grabbing book, but I had trouble relating to the characters. I sympathized with them at the beginning (I’m not much of an outdoorsy person and a More...

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Feb 05, 2008

Jessica rated it:

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Feb 05, 2008

Molly rated it:

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Apr 22, 2008

Cati rated it:

English 425 Submitter’s name _Cati Howard__
Book Bank Book Bank subject: __Downriver___

Reference information:
Title Downriver
Author Will Hobbes
Publisher Dell Laurel-Leaf Year 1991
# of pages 204 Genre adventure
Reading level 5.6 Interest level
Potential hot lava: very suspenseful, possibly could be stressful to read.

General response/reaction:
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was exciting and interesting to More...

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Feb 05, 2008

Christine rated it:

General response/reaction: This was an exciting book about kids on an adventure. If you like to read about adventures than this is a great book for you.

Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: Teamwork, rebelling, consequences

Characters: Jessie, Al, Star, Rita, Pug, Adam, Freddy, Heather, and Troy

Plot summary: The novel, Downriver, by Will Hobbs is about a teenager named Jessie. She enters into a program called the Discovery Unlimited program for teenagers in Col More...

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Apr 16, 2008

Lynnsey rated it:

English 425 Submitter’s name: Lynnsey Sutphin
Book Bank Book Bank subject: ______________________

Reference information:
Title: Downriver
Author: Will Hobbs
Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf Year: 1991
# of pages 204 Genre: Young Adult
Reading level Interest level
Potential hot lava: The main characters are juvenile delinquents who use stolen gear to ride the Colorado river.

General response/reaction: I really enjoyed reading t More...

0 comments like

Sep 03, 2009

Sandra rated it:

Told by 16? year old Jessie, this adventure centers around a group of “Hoods in the Woods,” troubled teens sent on a wilderness program who jettison their counselor to run the challenging Colorado rapids through the Grand Canyon. Issues of independence, romance, trust, and choosing good over not-so-good make the book a positive one with adventure along with relationships.

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Jun 24, 2011

Mary rated it:

This is a book I'd read years ago and wanted to revisit. As usual you feel like you have actually been on the rafting trip, and that you have had these young people in your classes. It makes you wish there was an easier way to help people transition and grow through their rough times! Maybe teachers have a bit of Al in them.

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Jan 21, 2009

Steph rated it:

Mr. Hobbs has the formula down for adventure novels that appeal to both male and female reluctant readers. This one is a Grand Canyon rafting tale about kids from an alternative high school who split from the group and have their own (mild) Lord of the Flies adventure.
It's hard to read Hobbs' tales and not see his appreciation for the natural world. I do prefer Gary Paulsen to Will Hobbs, but Hobbs is marketing to an 8-10th grader.

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Dec 11, 2008

Janine rated it:

This is a "juvenile fiction" book that I selected for students I teach, however, I totally loved it myself. Often I find in my teaching that a good kids' book makes a great read for grown-ups, too. The story is about a group of kids who are all misfits in some way or another & have all been sent for various reasons to an Outward Bound-type program. They jokingly call the program they've been sent to "Hoods in the Woods." They decide to go AWOL, steal some rafts, and they More...

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Jul 10, 2008

Jenni rated it:

Jessie is sent to a camp for wilderness therapy after having problems at home and school as a result of being a struggling teenager. At camp Jessie meets other teenagers like herself along with the leader Al. Eventually they leave Al behind and try to whitewater raft through the Grand Canyon. Hobbs brings the adventure to life through the descriptions of the canyons and everything that goes along with whitewater rafting. Jessie and her companions learn a great deal about themselves and those More...

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May 28, 2011

Sheila rated it:

This engaging teen novel has law-breaking teens in a survival program running rivers. A group breaks loose and tries to run the Colorado. I liked everything except the use of alcohol. The kids steal and drink a bottle of vodka but have no hangovers or consequences. Some language.

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Sep 07, 2010

Rivkah added it

She shouldn't be there. She WOULDN'T be there if only it wasn't for her step mom. Now she's in a coarse to 'release her worry. It was all about hiking and other fun stuff. Sure. But Dad couldn't mask what it really was. A place for juvenile criminals.Now she was stuck there all alone.

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Aug 03, 2011

Spencer rated it:

We read this in high school and I totally agree with Mrs. Jacobson's review which was something like "a fun read for young adults". I read it again recently and it wasn't as fun as I had remembered but I still enjoyed it.

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May 09, 2009

Keith rated it:

As an x-hoods in the wood counselor and one who worked in the Grand Canyon I found this story very fun. I teamed up with an English teacher and we taught this book together. Lots of fun and a good lead in to Geology.

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Jul 28, 2011

Stephanie added it

I read this book when I was younger, and it has always stuck with me so I read it again. This book has forever put in my mind the desire to river raft. I will be reading the companion this time for sure...

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Sep 17, 2009

Nicole rated it:

As school-assigned books go, it was pretty good. I liked Star the best, but some of the characters were too malicious for my liking (Troy!!! Pug!!!) I wish Al was a bigger part of the story, though.

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Mar 31, 2009

Kathy rated it:

This book would be good for the middle school grades. It is a good lesson about what can happen when someone doesn't listen to their intuition and lets a charming personality overrule common sense.

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Dec 08, 2009

Mrskay rated it:

I read this many years ago, but it still sticks with me. But seriously, you leave a group of kids with a vehicle while you go in with supplies--REALLY???? Still, Hobbs had to have a start.

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