The Big Wander is a trip 14-year-old Clay Lancaster and his older brother Mike have planned for years. It's Clay's dream to find his ex-rodeo star uncle, who quit the tour and disappeared somewhere in the vast and colorful Monument Valley. But Mike-heartbroken and unfocused after losing his girlfriend-soon heads for home. Clay, however, will not give up. He finds a job in a remote trading post, and follows a lead on his uncle's whereabouts that takes him deep into Navajo country. There he learns the ways of the tribe, the dangers of the wilderness, and discovers, just in time, the secret of his long lost uncle's fate. Best-selling young adult author Will Hobbs won an ALA Best Book Award for The Big Wander. Hobb's prose paired with Sala's perfect pacing and authentic accents will make you feel you are in the American Southwest.
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"I enjoyed listening to this book with my 12 yo son each week on our way to and from bagpipe practice. He thought it was a great story which took place in early 60's and in parts of Arizona and Utah."
— Sam (4 out of 5 stars)
“This good-natured chronicle of a boy’s summer-long search for his uncle is jam-packed with action and…has the kind of charm that just seems to come naturally when a likable kid is put into some gorgeous countryside with a bunch of wild horses.”
— Publishers Weekly“Hobbs skilfully blends action scenes (flash flood, quicksand, and wild chases) with moments of humor and insight…Hobbs makes Clay a believable character, and creates a memorable supporting cast—even a villain with a heart of gold.”
— School Library Journal“Hobbs has created an adventure that most teens would love to experience themselves. He provides a hero who is capable in the wilds as well as believably naïve and inept with girls, a Monument Valley setting that hobbs himself obviously loves, and enough action and humor to satisfy even the most reluctant reader.”
— Booklist (starred review)" Absolutly one of the best books i have ever read "
— Bret, 11/17/2013" Loved it from start to finish. "
— Sarah, 6/24/2013" I've read better. Its probably a good adolescent boy book. "
— Stephanie, 5/8/2013" A seminal book of my childhood/young adulthood. Would recommend highly to any preteen boys in search of an excellent adventure in the outdoors. "
— James, 4/9/2013Will Hobbs is the author of many outdoor adventure novels for upper elementary, middle school, and young adult readers, as well as a few picture book stories. Several of his novels have been named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and Ghost Canoe, his first mystery, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. The ALA’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of the Twentieth Century includes two of Will’s titles: Far North and Downriver. A graduate of Stanford University and a former reading and language arts teacher, he lives with his wife in Durango, Colorado.
Ed Sala has narrated dozens of audio books throughout his career. His readings include Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, Stephen Sears’ Gettysburg, and Cormac MacCarthy’s Outer Dark.