The Road Home

by Andrew Baze

Robbie thought he was ready for a camping trip in the mountains near Seattle. He and his father Jeff made it into the mountains without a hitch, but nothing could have prepared them for the rest of the trip! After a city-busting earthquake strikes the Seattle area, Robbie and his father have to rely on their wits and some new-found skills to get home safely, dealing with many unexpected obstacles on the way. To make matters even worse, they still need to rescue the rest of their family from an insidious danger that made its way to their doorstep. The story combines exciting, non-stop action with dozens of practical emergency preparedness and high-tech ham radio tips that you will find helpful in many situations, from going on an uneventful road trip or day hike, to getting lost in the woods, even to surviving a natural disaster! “This fast paced adventure will engage youth and adults in the realities of what can happen in an emergency and how amateur radio can be one of the many tools in the preparedness toolbox.” – Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, Education Services Manager, ARRL Second Edition - June 2011

Genres: Fiction, Adventure

206 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

Reviews

[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has pages of info dumps on how to operate a HAM radio, all about signals and antennas...at times it is more like a manual than a novel and I found that quite dull. The first part of the book leading up to the earthquake are not greatly exciting because of the lecturing. The story of how Robbie has to get his injured father home is interesting enough as a story but the world'd worst burglar sub-story isn't very good. The city is in chaos, houses are abandoned as people can't get home but Luis decides to break into one that is occupied by Robbie's mother. Yeah. Clever idea. This is aimed more at the YA reader as it lacks the brutal violence and rape you usually see in the genre and the characters only face mild danger. Decent enough read but not enough of interest to read on in the series for me personally.

[Kenton Schenk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entry level

This book has an ok story line and very basic information on JAN radios, knots, and emergency scenarios. Probably would be good for kids.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. I'll probably reread it in a few years.

[Rich Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimed primarily at a teenage audience but lots of lessons for everyone in preparing for an emergency, whether tornado, flood, extended power outage or (in this case) a major earthquake hitting the Seattle area. Interesting, quick read for adults too.

Extensive footnotes provides excellent information into how to prepare for these types of situations. Examples of how Amateur "ham" Radio can help are illustrative.

I enjoyed this book and will be making a few changes (and purchases) based on the examples given.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

While an easy read of the Hardy Boy or Carl & Jerry ilk, Andrew Blaze AB8L's "The ROad Home" adds lessons with footnotes on basic Preparedness and Emergency Readiness issues.

I motored right through the read, enjoying the somewhat predictable plot and the cross reference to notes that are a virtual lesson-plan on "being prepared" for the unexpected in life.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read, would probably be good for kids around the 5th grade. It was a good book showing the capabilities of ham radio, especially in emergency situations. It had a little bit of Rawle's Patriots in it where the author goes a little overboard with naming specific makes and models of different pieces of gear, but it wan;t too overwhelming.

[Kristopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but was pretty disappointed. The concept is one that I love.....survival after a disaster and one man and his family fighting to make it through. Unfortunately the author never developed the characters as well as he could have. The character's actions and interactions were saccharine. Disappointing.

[Joe Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primarily geared for teenagers, The Road Home is a quick, easy read. I enjoyed it.

[Dave Cox II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Shorter than I would have liked, though...