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River #2

River Thunder

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Jessie, Troy, and the rest of the crew from Downriver have returned to the Grand Canyon for adventure down the Colorado River. In the year since they last were together, each has changed; each feels more mature. But how will they interact now that they are facing new challenges--challenges greater than anything they've had to deal with at home?

For Troy, it is a chance to prove he can be a team player, someone worthy of friendship and love. For Jessie, the river is the ultimate test. Does she have what it takes to row down the mighty Colorado? The only way to find out is to get into the raft and set off to face the thundering rapids and the powerful emotions that the river unleashes.

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 11, 1997

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263 people want to read

About the author

Will Hobbs

31 books171 followers
WILL HOBBS is the author of seventeen novels for upper elementary, middle school and young adult readers, as well as two picture book stories. Seven of his novels, Bearstone, Downriver, The Big Wander, Beardance, Far North, The Maze, and Jason's Gold, were named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. ALA also named Far North and Downriver to their list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of the Twentieth Centrury. Ghost Canoe received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1998 for Best Young Adult Mystery.

In outdoor stories that appeal to both boys and girls, Hobbs has readers discovering wild places, sharing adventures with people from varied backgrounds, and exploring how to make important choices in their own lives. A graduate of Stanford University and former reading and language arts teacher, Will has been a full-time writer since 1990. He lives with his wife, Jean, in Durango, Colorado.

Will's books have won many other awards, including the California Young Reader Medal, the Western Writers of America Spur Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the Colorado Book Award, and nominations to state award lists in over thirty states.

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5 stars
167 (29%)
4 stars
207 (36%)
3 stars
152 (26%)
2 stars
36 (6%)
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11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for J.
3,977 reviews33 followers
October 30, 2017
I have always loved the original book and as complete as the ending was for the original book I couldn't quite figure out how this one would be a continuation of that one. So it was a bit of a surprise that the background was basically the same while the cast of characters for the most part also stayed the same although sadly Freddy never showed up.

Unfortunately this book was too much a repeat of the first including for the majority of the portion of the book the same emotional tension that could be found within the first one. And although things turned out right in the end and that there was a bit of a turnaround it just takes away from the story while reminding the reader of the never-ending alternatives of the "Hatchet" books.

Second of all I was also disappointed that the book almost never mentioned or gave names to the parts of the trip that were included at the beginning of the first trip such as the whitewater where Troy almost flipped his raft before inviting Jess over or even the ones that flipped the raft with the others. Although they now have a guidebook only the main trip points are repeated that were named in the first read.

As a standalone I think that it could be read as such although that would take away from enjoying the much better original book. Otherwise it is a decent read and one that will help the reader to pass the time quickly if such is needed....
9 reviews
September 28, 2015
River Thunder is the exhilarating sequel to Downriver. Troy wants to prove that he has changed, so he plans a trip back to the Grand Canyon for another rafting adventure and invites his friends: Jessie, Adam, Star, Rita, and Pug. This time, Troy promises, the trip will not be just about him. Jessie, who strongly disliked Troy on the last trip, has second thoughts about coming, but eventually she decides not to turn down the adventure of a lifetime. Unlike last time, Troy acquires the proper National Park permits for this trip. After a couple of days, the friends learn they are rafting the river in record water levels that are still rising and they are one of the last groups to set off down the Grand Canyon. Even the low ranked rapids are a struggle in these water levels and the friends begin to wonder if Lava Falls, the steepest navigable rapid in North America, will be passable.

Sometimes in life we have to go through challenging situations. This book illustrates how individuals may respond to the same circumstances in different ways. I enjoyed Downriver immensely; I could not wait to read the sequel, River Thunder by Will Hobbs, and find out what happened to Jessie and her friends. The author delivered on his promise of high-volume excitement. Will Hobbs made me feel like I was right there in the roaring, rolling rapids with Jessie and her companions. I should caution future readers, this book has some slow, descriptive passages in the middle of the book. The book as a whole was a thrilling read and I would recommend this book to anyone who read Downriver and wants to read more about the teens’ adventures. I would not recommend reading River Thunder if you have not read Downriver because the author assumes that the reader is already familiar with the characters.
3 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2017
jessie and star met up with some friends and they were going to go rafting. jessie had second thoughts about going since she thought troy wanted to get back at her for breaking up with him . half way through they started arguingabout what to do at lava , the roughfest rapid on the river. jessie had to decide since she was paddleing. jesse is very draumatic.the book was very entense
1 review
October 21, 2019
I was required to make a book review for my monthly reading book. I read River thunder by Will Hobbs, the companion to Downriver. The book is about about the kids going back to the grand canyon. In the first book the kids were put into this camp with other children their age to help with social skills and get out of the normal society.
The Grand Canyon had record high water level and crazy rapids. The kids came back this time hoping to work on social skills and get back to the fun rapids. Troy also wants to prove that he has changed. They face many challenges throughout the book. This means they have to work together and not get frustrated or mad at each other.
The characters in this book are the same but you see less of them, in the last one there were many on the trip to the Grand Canyon, in this one there are less. I do like the characters' goals and strives for this trip. In the last book they were sent to the canyon and in this book they choose to go because they had such a good time before. So this time they have intentions and things that they are looking forward in which they had not had before. They chose this time instead of being forced to.
One thing that really surprised me in a bad way was that there were numerous spelling errors. Most books don't have any. Others have a few but this one had so many it seemed as if it had not been revised or edited. This made it hard to read the novel and made a dent on the good storyline.
I enjoyed how the book almost encourages people to get out and see the world. It shows how you can meet people and even meet your lifelong friends. One of the themes in this book is about finding life long friends. Doing something that you would not want to do might end up being god and you might meet great friends and maybe keep doing that thing. IN this story the kids don’t want to go to the canyon but they enjoyed it in the end.
If I were to recommend this to someone I would recommend this to two very different people. First off, Someone who enjoys the outdoors and exploring and traveling would enjoy this book a lot because it relates to what they like to do. The second person I would recommend this to someone who is struggling and doesn't have much in life that makes them happy. This book would give them the idea to go out and see what life has for them. This book can inspire people to go find lifelong friends by going out and doing stuff.
Profile Image for Ashkiryn.
65 reviews
February 13, 2021
It's an enjoyable read for the setting and premise (whitewater rafting down the Grand Canyon), and it's a short and easy way to spend a day, but there's not much here beyond that. I mostly put that down to a lack of depth in the characters and their relationships. They're not totally bland and irredeemable, but we don't really get to spend much time w/ them or see much of their interactions. The river and the canyon are where all the focus lies. So if that's what you want out of this book, then you're set. Anyone else, give it a miss. As for me, this is a book that's lingered on my shelves for years and picked up whenever I wanted a light and quick read, and the premise was enough to hold my attention despite the lack of everything else (especially bc I'll never go whitewater rafting myself! XD), but it's not a book that I'll miss when I unhaul it. (Which I'm doing bc I have no emotional attachment to it, and I want my shelf space to be reserved for books that I do care about.)

(It wouldn't have made up for everything, but I feel this story would've been infinitely better if Jessie got to punch Troy in the face, especially after one particular incident. Or slapped him, at the very least. Oh well.)
Profile Image for Rachel Jackson.
Author 2 books29 followers
May 21, 2018
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed River Thunder. I was expecting the book to be one of those action-packed adventure books all about conquering nature in some capacity with the sole focus on overcoming whitewater rafting ad nauseam. But I was pleased that author Will Dobbs made the story much more than that and create a a tale around the relationship between all the characters—something that's usually lacking for me in adventure books. I missed out on some of the details by not having read the previous book, Downriver, but I still enjoyed the story that I knew of Jessie and Star, Pug and Rita, as they made their journey—oh yeah, and Troy, who could have died in Lava Falls for all I cared. Mild spoiler there, in terms of how awful a person Troy is. But the fact that I hated Troy so much serves to illustrate how well Dobbs created characters with personalities to hate at all. There were still too many details about the rafting parts for my liking, but given that that's the subject of the whole book, it wasn't too bad since there were other storylines involved as well.
5 reviews
February 3, 2020
The book River Thunder is an adventure book about a girl getting sent to summer camp by her parents. This summer camp they go white water rafting, they practice a few times and one of the other boys decides to convince her to escape with him and a bunch of friends to go to the Grand Canyon to go rafting which is the hardest river in the area. She was eventually convinced to say yes so they steal all of the camps stuff and leave during the middle of the night. Then they run into a few issues on the canyon that they were not ready for.
24 reviews1 follower
January 16, 2022
I think this book is like the down river because the story is about survival, and the author is the same. I like that the danger place where dreams come true. But the danger place is a huge flood and they were pinch, but they joined force so they came over the difficult situation. When I was one of the person in that boat, I think I can't join the force together because I think I will be afraid and can't do anything at the boat, and I think if I was there, than I will swallow me and my friends. So I'm so impress that the people that was in the boat did something like that.
1 review
June 25, 2020
The book was very interesting, especially the 16 year old girl named jessie. She does a very good job of keeping the story going. Jessie and her companies go through many great adventures down in the grand cannon. The story is really good and I would recommend it for people who enjoy Will Hoob’s work.
Profile Image for Regan Meyer.
107 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2025
River Thunder is a sequel to the one of my favorite adventure books, Downriver. Downriver has it all: river rafting, survival, betrayal, coming of age. It’s awesome. River Thunder does not hold a candle. It’s basically the same plot as its predecessor with no new characters. And then it just ends. Bummer of a book. I did love the author’s descriptions of running big class rapids on the Colorado.
Profile Image for Ranee.
1,370 reviews18 followers
January 15, 2021
Troy seemed about as dangerous as the river in this story, knowing what happened in the first one. It was a adventure for sure!
Profile Image for Jaden.
1 review
Read
September 29, 2021
it's a pretty goo dbook about friends trying to raft through the grand canyon and survive.
Profile Image for Serena Keene.
476 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2023
201 pages I read the book it is a great book there is no way I could ever raft through the Grand Canyon
65 reviews
September 13, 2025
Rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon during one of the highest dam releases without permits. a gang of runaways trying to figure out what to do with their lives.
Profile Image for Rachel Moats.
56 reviews7 followers
May 30, 2018
I read the original in 8th grade as assigned reading (review has bene posted for that book) and I remember being really excited when I was able to read this one during the summer. I liked this one almost as much. I don't remember it as clearly as the original, but I do remember that I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Alantie.
262 reviews
February 11, 2014
I found out about this book somehow- I always liked the first book Downriver and had no idea that there was a sequel. I knew it probably wasn't the greatest idea considering it would probably smash my nostalgia and do things I didn't want it to, but I picked it up to read anyway.

Suffice to say I expected this book to tie up some of the loose ends from the first- namely what became of Troy, the unresolved issues between him and the rest of the gang, and to see something more develop between Jessie and Freddy.

Unfortunately, the first problem is that while Freddy is mentioned, he's not a part of the events of this book. Though, considering that the entire thing is Troy's scheme and he never liked Freddy anyway, it makes sense that he wouldn't invite him too - honestly though it's a little hazy, they never specify if Freddy was actually invited, Jessie just says that he wouldn't be able to due to the fire fighting thing he was doing. Anyway, regardless, a sequel without Freddy is depressing indeed, and I hate that he doesn't get to go with Jessie on this trip like I'm sure he would have wanted. Strike one.

And then there's Troy. I could type a million reasons why characters like Troy make my hair stand on end. No, seriously, he is the guy who's dangerous, the seemingly nice charismatic guy who knows how to influence those around him and doesn't take no for an answer. The one who likes being in charge and wants all eyes on him and won't hesitate to take anyone in his way out. Has Troy changed since Downriver? I don't think so. He's still all these things, and worse, he's gotten creepier. His fixation on Jessie is stalkerish, an obsession that is seriously screwed up. The guy tracks her down, follows her around her hometown, watching her every movement, and then creates this whole river trip just for the chance to get back into her life and make her his- he essentially says this, that he didn't care about seeing anyone else but her. He wants her to move to California to live with him- an underage 16 year old girl. Seriously. It's possessive and creepy as hell. And what annoys me most is that while Jessie is smart enough to back the hell away, this isn't resolved in the end. It's just like- ok? Jessie tells Troy where to shove it and we're supposed to expect he'll back off, never contact her again, never stalk her, try to convince her to go to California, and when that doesn't work kidnap her? It really bothers me that this is left hanging, because it's scary, and I don't like that in the end it's sort of forgotten in the joy of reaching the end of the river. Strike two.

As for plot, well, the story doesn't really have much of one compared to Downriver- there was plenty of conflict and adventure there with the stealing of the equipment to go down the Grand Canyon themselves without a permit or adult, and the whole tension between Freddy, Troy, and Jessie. Here there's not quite the same suspense, the main issue is Troy and is he or isn't he still a controlling douche bag? It's kind of the whole thing and it just fizzles out and isn't resolved at the end.

There's also some hinting at some relationships blossoming, Rita and Adam, and a weird possibility of Pug and Star or Star and Joe which is just odd. Also I kind of missed all of Star's new age-yness, it was really much more toned down in this book and hardly brought up which made me sad.

Possibly the best parts were the actual rafting on the river, and Jessie's interactions with Kit. I actually really loved this relationship and like the implications that Jessie might turn riding the Grand Canyon river into a lifetime job.

Overall, the book's just ok, kind of a weak follow up to the original lacking a lot of development of the side characters and not quite as fun. And in closing, I sincerely hope that Jessie files a restraining order against Troy, because seriously, guy is a creeper.
Profile Image for Holly Wagner.
1,040 reviews5 followers
July 16, 2012
The crew from Downriver returns to the Grand Canyon as interns with hopes of completing the Grand Canyon trip through the big rapids; Granite, Hermit, Crystal, Lava Falls in their own rafts. The flood level waters have different plans for our intrepid teens. How will the unlikely group find strength in each other to survive?

Hobbs, W. (1997). River thunder. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
Awards: Young Adult Choices, International Reading Association (IRA), Junior Library Guild Selection
Books for the Teenage, New York Public Library, Mountains and Plains Regional Book Award Finalist Colorado Book Award Nominee (Colorado Center for the Book)
Curriculum Connections: Water, Growing Up, Rights of Passage, Coming of Age.
Personal Literature Connection: Boys, but girls too, reluctant readers, outdoor lovers.
Profile Image for Bennett.
34 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2008
Jessie, Troy, and the rest of the crew from Downriver have returned to the Grand Canyon for adventure down the Colorado River. In the year since they last were together, each has changed; each feels more mature. But how will they interact now that they are facing new challenges--challenges greater than anything they've had to deal with at home?

For Troy, it is a chance to prove he can be a team player, someone worthy of friendship and love. For Jessie, the river is the ultimate test. Does she have what it takes to row down the mighty Colorado? The only way to find out is to get into the raft and set off to face the thundering rapids and the powerful emotions that the river unleashes.

1 review
September 16, 2011
Jessie and the rest of the crew see Troy from the last trip. They don't like Troy already. He invites them to a cafe where he admits that Adam isn't coming, and he wrote the letters to everyone. Jessie was furious, as with the rest of her friends. Even though they were angry; they agreed to ateend the rafting trip. The next day everyone is gearing up, and getting in their rafts. I like this book; its exciting. Thers always something going on. For example they're getting ready to raft the Colorado river. I like books that have action.
Profile Image for Andrea.
1,081 reviews10 followers
February 9, 2021
added May 27, 2012
I have read this twice. The first time I was really excited by the little bit of romance. She had dated one of the guys in the past, or something like that, so when they kissed that was really enjoyable to my younger self. I really didn't like that they didn't end up together though. That would have made it so much better if they had. I read it again years later and it wasn't as good the second time around. Being older, the kiss wasn't as exciting and there wasn't enough love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,312 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2013
Read this YAL book as part of sub job teaching.
Liked it!
Follow-up to Downriver.
Tracks the "crew" of an Outward Bound-like program as they are summoned, supposedly by their former leader Al, but really by Troy, who has hoodwinked all of them.
They course through the CO River/Grand Canyon, hitting hard water all the time, and discovering alot about themselves - and Troy.
Supposedly based on actual trips Hobbs and his wife did.
Full of realistic detail and enough drama to appeal to younger readers.
5 reviews
October 26, 2015
In my opinion, River Thunder by Will Hobbs was a great novel! I liked the plot of the book and how the events played out. I also liked the external conflict that most of the characters in the in novel faced. The huge external conflict that they faced was major amounts of water being released into the river from the dam which made the river more challenging to whitewater raft. I enjoyed this conflict being in the novel because it played a major role in the characters physical and mental well being. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book!
Profile Image for Kathy.
1,306 reviews
July 8, 2016
Quotable:
No matter what happened downriver, this was pure magic. I remembered how much I was in love with moving water. What a feeling, taking a raft through a rapid. There’s just nothing like it. I wanted more and more and I was definitely going to have my chance. One rapid down, a hundred and fifty-nine to go.

I’m not ready to get involved like that, not with you or anybody. What I’m looking forward to is getting out on my own… inventing my own life. Don’t take this wrong, but I feel like what you’re hoping for is someone who will magically fix up your life, make a life for you.
Profile Image for Bekah.
701 reviews4 followers
August 9, 2011
Great sequel to Downriver! There are not that many adventure novels with female leads that aren't in the fantasy genre- but this and Downriver are great ones! The one issue I had with this one is that there are some technological references that really date the book- which is too bad b/c I was actually thinking that this book was "timeless" until I got to one chapter with these references- ugh. Oh well- it is still a great read if you like adventures. :)
Profile Image for Eireanne.
477 reviews5 followers
July 29, 2014
On the suggested summer reading list for students. Started to read it and realized it was a sequel, so I had to find the first book and read that first to be able to understand what they were talking about. Would have been missing something had I not read that first book, which isn't always the case with sequels.
14 reviews3 followers
November 14, 2013
I thought this book was not very good. I didn't like it because it didn't have enough action in the beginning to catch my attention. Later in the book more action comes like when Jessie fell out of the boat and almost drowns. Jessie does not like this one guy from the past year of rafting. His name was Troy. That is what I think of this book
Profile Image for Toni.
6 reviews1 follower
March 26, 2012
I remember reading " River Thunder " by Will Hobbs about a year ago or something, but it was actually pretty good. There's lots of adventure, twists, and more that makes you to want to keep reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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