Never Say Die by Will Hobbs

  From the author of the popular Far North and Ghost Canoe books comes this latest suspenseful adventure that I am sure will be an must-read page-turner for your pre-teen/teenager.  Will Hobbs' Never Say Die tells the story of Nick Thrasher, a half white, half Inuit young fifteen year-old, who already at his young age, has learned to become an accomplished hunter in the Inuit style.  Nick lives with his mother in a small village just north of the Arctic Circle, but not everything in Nick's life is stable--- his grandfather, Jonas, is dying of cancer; large herds of once plentiful caribou are now quickly disappearing due to the effects of the abnormally warm temperatures.  While hunting, Nick is attacked by a never before-seen creature known as a, 'grolar', a bear that, although it first resembles a grizzly, it also bears a striking physical and temperamental similarities to a polar bear.

      After recovering from his encounter with the 'grolar', Nick receives an offer from his half-brother, Ryan, who offers to take Nick along on a run down the Firth River.  A wildlife photographer, Ryan wants to take and document photos of the migrating caribou herds.  Despite some initial apprehension, Nick takes Ryan up on his offer, and decides to join Ryan.  The brothers head off for the remote area, but sure enough, starting on the very first day of their trip, disaster begins to strike the duo, and the two young men are forced to figure out how to survive without food or protection from some very aggressive bears.
     Despite the numerous obstacles the brothers faced, they still managed to work together as a team to overcome the many difficulties, and at the same time, they learn valuable lessons from the ability to see first hand how the affects of climate change are having on this isolated part of our world.  This extremely well-researched adventure story is filled with plenty of action, and will quickly capture young readers' attention right from the first few pages.  I appreciated the fact that Hobbs used his storyline as a means to bring about a worthwhile discussion not only about a culture that not many children have had the opportunity to learn about, but as a springboard to further dialogue on the damaging affects of climate change on our environment and for the animal/human population.

Never Say Die
Written by Will Hobbs
Publisher:  HarperCollins Childrens
ISBN:  9780061708787
Retails for $16.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 8 thru 12