Kijana: The Real Story
Gr. 9-12. In this follow-up toLionheart(2002), about his solo sail around the world as a teenager, Martin offers an account of a subsequent and more ill-fated voyage undertaken in a general quest for cool adventures. Setting out from Melbourne with a crew of four in a two-masted yacht, he gets a few glimpses of traditional culture in Australia and Indonesia, eats goat brains, parties heartily, and weathers various natural and human hazards. Everything unravels, however, after 10 months. His people skills aren't up to keeping the crew together, and by the time he reaches Thailand, his dreams of finding a tropical paradise have gone sour. Part travelogue, but more teen confessional, this isn't as compelling a picture of Southeast Asia as Greg Sheridan's adult bookCities of the Hot Zone(2004), but its combination of vision, casually borne hardship, self-absorption, and frequent emotional rows with fellow travelers is bound to strike a chord among fans of outdoorsy reality shows.John PetersCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved