The Drop

by Jeff Ross

Alex's goal in life is to snowboard all day, every day. His ultimate dream is to be part of the Backcountry Patrol, an elite group of snowboarders who patrol the ungroomed slopes of British Columbia. But first, he and three other young hopefuls (Dave, Bryce and Hope) must endure a series of tests, which takes them to remote and dangerous terrain. When Bryce disappears, the teens are left with Sam, their dubiously qualified instructor, and no links to the outside world. As Alex and Hope scramble to find out what happened to Bryce, they must confront their own fears of the whiteout conditions and the ominous, mysterious drop.

Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Adventure, Realistic Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Jeff Ross is an award-winning author of thirteen novels for young adults.

Reviews

[Trever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was funny, action, mystery. I decided to read it because it's about snowboarding and I like snowboarding. It is about a few kids who are trying to become back country patrol. Their trainers name is Sam. They do the tasks and then go back to the cabin. The next morning Bryce is missing. Read to find out the rest.

[Benjamin Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The drop by Jeff Ross

I had read another novel published by Orca Sports called Power-slide. I really enjoyed reading that book, so when they told us we had to read another novel, I chose another Orca Sports book called The Drop. This book was very interesting at the beginning but after a little bit, it became the most predictable book I had ever read. Compared with Power-slide, this novel was super boring.

Alex, the main character, Bryce, Hope and Dave, want to become Backcountry Patrols in the ungroomed slopes of British Columbia, so they practice with Sam, their really bad instructor, very far away from civilization with no connections with them. One night, Bryce is kidnapped while he was watching the fire so it didn't die out and he gets kidnapped and Alex and Hope have to find out what happened to him, but they suffer weather conditions, that they are about to run out of food and a strange and creepy drop.

I recommend this novel to people who like to read short adventure books, and also like novels with a little bit of fiction in them. In my personal opinion, I gave this book only two stars because I had a better expectation for it, so when I found out it was not as good as the other book I had read published by Orca Sports I didn't want to read it any more, so I read it with no enthusiasm.

[Dakota.Filgate · Rating 1 out of 5]

good for a book report

[A Book Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. I used to be a snowboarder, before I busted my tailbone and my muscles atrophied, and in the winter I find myself still yearning to get back out there, although that will likely never happen. Reading Ross’ book transported me to the slopes once again and I was able to live vicariously through the characters, something I can’t do simply watching snowboarding on the television. Ross is a very talented writer and he knows his sport well. Reading about the characters as they switch back and forth from toe side to heel side, crouching for more speed, etc., was phenomenal...
To read my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[bjneary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Laurie for reading and reviewing this for PSLA!

Alex, Dave, Bryce, and Hope all want to become Backcountry Patrol, an elite group of snowboarders whose job it is to save skiers and adventurers in the backwoods of British Columbia. I order to earn a spot; they must pass four difficult, trying tests of endurance, stamina, and skill. They must prove that they can face their fears in order to help others. An unexpected twist happens while they are up in the dangerous, remote mountaintops. Bryce has gone missing in the middle of the night, is it one of the tests that they have to pass or is it something more serious? A suspenseful novel of search and rescue.
Snowboarding Laurie O, Abington Senior High

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orca publishes great High-Low (High content, low reading level) that are perfect for those reluctant readers.
The Drop is about four friends who ascend high into the mountains for a test in their Backcountry Patrol training. With the Olympics going on, I picked up this book so I could suggest it to my students as a current event/sport book. While it falls into those categories, I would not suggest the Orca books for the avid, higher level reader. Character development is almost nonexistent and the plot seems to appear out of nowhere.
However, there is no doubt that these books circulate with several of the reluctant readers out there. I have a group of boys constantly coming back to the library for more books likes these.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not really like sport books but this one caught my eye. I loved the adventure of the story and I really think you will like this book. OK, I do not want to spoil the whole book for you so I am going to say what the genre of the story is. It's mostly like a mystery and action. What's cool about this book is that you get so excited about "what's going to happen next". Well, I got excited! But at the end story got sort of confusing. I was not sure who murdered whom. So whoever reads this book, I hope you find this book interesting. Bye... :D

[Nathan Bl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The drop is a good book it's about snowboardng. Alexe's the main goal is to snowboard all day every day. His ultimate dream is to become part of the back country patrol. I like it because I like snowboarding. I don't think there is any thing i don't like about this book. I would recommend this book to people who can read and for people who like snowboarding. Over all this book is exciting and a good book .

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Samantha]

THIS WAS AN AMAZING BOOK. I highly suggest it.