Outlaw

by Stephen Davies

A high-tension, high-tech thriller with an African setting. Jake and his sister, Kas, whose father is the British ambassador to Burkina Faso, are abducted, bundled into a van, and driven into the unknown. In smartphone contact with his father, Jake learns that the kidnapper with the spider web tattoo is the remorseless outlaw Yakuuba Sor, who is connected to an international terrorist organization. But is he the real Yakuuba Sor? And is Sor really a dangerous criminal? In this fast-paced tale laced with trickery and murder, Jake and Kas discover that with the corrupt local government and British Intelligence arrayed against them, survival in the African desert may be the least of their problems. Includes an afterword.

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Africa, Action, Realistic Fiction, Burkina Faso, Survival

289 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Stephen Davies is the author of more than thirty children's books, with a particular interest in Ancient Egypt. Stephen's bestseller THE ANCIENT EGYPT SLEEPOVER is widely used as a whole-class read in Key Stage 2, while the Comic Book Myths books are perfect for reluctant readers.

Stephen loves visiting schools in the UK and overseas, helping young people with their own creative writing.

Agent: Julia Churchill

Events: Authors Abroad

Reviews

[Nancy Reinking · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great read for the YAL crowd. International intrigue, Indiana Jones style, written to enlighten others to the plight of those who live in corrupt political systems. Heroes and villains clash using the latest technology. There is some violence in this story, but it is important to the plot development and provides a realistic viewpoint to life in the real world.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern day Robin Hood with technology. Set in Burkino Fasa, this fast paced story tells of corruption in the country. Two teenagers of the British Ambassador soon become involved but who can they trust? I like the descriptions of Africa from the author who lives in the area.

[Carol Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel kept me up very late because I couldn't put it down. I don't think it or its author is well-known - YET. It's something new and different. I have added it to my top-20-of-all-time bookshelf, which still doesn't have 20 books on it.

So, Jake gets kicked out of boarding school and joins his family in Burkina Faso, West Africa, where his father is an ambassador. So, this is pretty topical, including terrorist extremist groups and government corruption. The author actually lives in this part of the world, with his family, as a missionary. Jake and his sister waste no time being kidnapped. The first suspect in the kidnapping is a young terrorist outlaw, well known to the government. That turns out not to be so cut-and-dry, but they two of them do end up in the company of this outlaw, Tubuuku Sor. Sor is a cross between Robin Hood and a terrorist, if terrorists were armed with only a slingshot. He is known as the Chameleon, because of his talent for changing disguises quickly.

This story has its moments of humor and suspense. It looks like our main characters may die at the end, but the author manages to inject humor at the most suspenseful time. It's fast-paced, plausible, packed with technology including unmanned surveillance apparatus and a remarkable beetle. Who is the enemy here? There are few firm lines in this story. Read this!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outlaw is about Jake Knight who is a spoiled bored rich kid living in an English boarding school. When he gets kicked out for playing a game called "geothimble," in which students try to find objects that have been planted by other players in impossible to reach locations, Jake is sent to Burkina Faso in Africa where Jake's father is the British Ambassador. Jake and his sister, Kas are soon kidnapped leading them to more adventure and political intrigue than Jake could ever have imagined. From the African desert to tribal villages to small African communities, Jake and his sister find themselves in a battle between local outlaws and the corrupt government.

This book had lots of action, twists, and suspense. Some of the dialogue was not spot on making the characters less than realistic. Also, the shift in terms mixing English, French, and African languages made some of the characters and settings hard to follow and some of the story hard to understand, but overall, this was an exciting adventure story.

[Mina Widding · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 skulle jag vilja sätta. Jag läser i princip aldrig den här sortens böcker, den känns ungefär som en actionfilm med ständigt nya strapatser och händelser som förvärrar situationen. Läste den i min kartutmaning, där jag dlumpar fram länder att läsa böcker från. Outlaw utspelar sig i Burkina Faso, som jag i princip aldrig hört talas om, och gav också en god bild av landet. Jag tänker att det är en YA, huvudpersonerna är ungdomar, och den följer ett hyfsat enkelt mönster, dock alltid spännande. Jag uppskattar att den är human, vill visa på korruption och fördomar, men faktum kvarstår att huvudpersonerna är rika, priviligerade vita som jag har svårt att identifiera mig med. En äventyrs/actionbok som jag ändå kan rekommendera för de som vill vidga världen lite.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Great story and educational facts.

[Bhavleen Purewal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about 1 British ambassador's teenagers getting kidnapped in Burkina Faso.
This is fun story about them and their adventures in small African land.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Knight, a fifteen year old, is suspended from boarding school after an escapade which caused him to break into a prison. Unfortunately he could not break out so he was caught. He waqs supposed to find his geography project that had been planted in Leeds prison awaiting recovery by other members in this secret adventure club. As a result of his suspension, his parents would be notified and he would be joining his parents and sister in Burkina Faso.

Jake's father was an ambassador in Ouagadougou and this was Jake's fifth trip here but this time he had about 10 weeks before he would be leaving again. His father picked him up at the airport and was still angry about Jake's suspension. His father had a passion for motorcycles and his mother had a passion for bees. At least his younger sister, Kas, was pleased to see him.

The Chameleon, a famous rebel and criminal according to some, was more of a Robin Hood in the desert. His and Jake's lives were abo9ut to cross into quite a new adventure. The day after Jake arrived the family went to Hotel Libya for a celebration of the start of commercial gold mining in the area. While there, Jake and Kas were kidnapped. All they had for communication was his phone with GPS. He called and got to his mother to tell her what had happened. The police commissioner advised them to cooperate with the kidnappers until they could be rescued. The adventure continues with Jake and Kas ending up in the hands of the Chameleon and learning about him enough to finally trust him. After lots of adventures the conspiracy was uncovered and the guilty were apprehended, including the police commissioner who died of bee stings encountered in the backyard of the British Embassy.

This book is a great adventure with lots of intrigue and action. Studying adventure and action stories would be a good fit for this boy-slanted action book for either middle or high school. Excellent read!

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I am teaching 7th grade (where Social Studies explores world geography and civilizations), I am on the lookout for books that take readers to other times and places that connect to their curriculum. I have found an action-packed adventure with Outlaw by Stephen Davies. This thriller explodes with desperate outlaws, high-tech surveillance, high-speed chases, and murderous double-crossers.

Jake Knight longs to live a life filled with adventure, but he has to create his own excitement at his stuffy British boarding school. When one of his pranks goes too far for the headmaster, he is sent to his parents in Burkina Faso. There he encounters kidnapping, terrorism, and the beauty of danger of the Sahara Desert. As he and his little sister Kas struggle to survive, they encounter Yakuuba Sor, the most wanted outlaw in the Sahara Desert, but just who is the Chameleon?

I enjoyed Jake's antics throughout the book. After all, he mastered the art of walking up walls and lives for adventure, but he is smart enough to admit that being kidnapped by a notorious terrorist is more excitement than he really wants. As he travels with Yakuuba Sor, he learns that life is much more than just adventure and adrenaline. In the end he is willing to make a choice to stand up for what is right.

My favorite character, though, is Yakuuba Sor. This outlaw is more Robin Hood than terrorrist. He is a master of disguise and trickery (hence his nickname the Chameleon) who uses his skills to right wrongs against the poor. Doing so often puts him at odds with the police, who supplement their poor salaries with bribes and corruption. I know in the real world that not all--or even most--outlaws are such good guys, but I love stories where they are.

Published on my blog at http://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couldn't put the book down because it was SO good! It's about Jake and Kas, the son and daughter of the British ambassador in Burkina Faso. Jake was suspended from his boarding school in England so he was flow over the Burkina Faso to go live with his parents. When Jake and Kas are at a big meal with the gold barons with their mother and father they are abducted. Jake keeps contact with his parents by posting his location using GPS on Facebook and also calling his parents. Jake notices a tattoo and the kidnappers arm so when he tells his parents they are told that he is Yakuuba Sor, the most feared outlaw of them all (though that is the thought of the police) . Jake and Kas find some chicken wrapped in foil in the chests stored with them. They throw the wrappings out the back of the van to create a line of wrappings. Some horsemen find the line and intervene Yakuuba Sor (Not actually Yakuuba Sor) about to shoot the two kids. Jake had discovered the man was not really Yakuuba Sor because the so called tattoo was ink. Eventually the kidnappers are thrown of the road after a chase. The horsemen then take Jake and Kas to their camp. At this camp they find the real Yakuuba Sor to be the owner. Though they discover that Yakuuba Sor is actually a Friend of the Poor. Yakuuba Sor brings the two teenagers back to their parents but there are many more events and fights in the time that they are traveling. Then finally the true developers of the abduction are killed by bee stings

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun ride of a book, with a lot of current world affairs details and situations to make it more realistic. When fifteen year old Jake is suspended from school and sent back to live with his parents and younger teen sister, he's not going home to a boring suburb: his dad's the British Ambassador to Burkina Faso, in Africa! Jake and his sister are fluent in French and other languages, and love the multicultural craziness of this country; Jake feels at home riding his father's motorcycle past crowded marketplaces, etc. This is good, because when he and his sister are kidnapped by a notorious outlaw, he'll need all his wits and knowledge of the local ways to survive and escape. But not everything's as it seems when another outlaw saves them from the first outlaw, who was impersonating the second outlaw! Okay that was a confusing way to put it, but trust me it works in the story and you'll be on the edge of your seat. There are fascinating details about life in the desert, for rich and poor, and some high-tech spy gadgets come into play--I hate the new cover, though, because showing the beetle tells you nothing about the story that is important until later. Sigh. Ignore the boring beetle cover and give this a try if you like adventure and humor--the author is definitely a fan of action movie quips and situations. great for middle schoolers and up.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspended from his British boarding school for geothimbling, fifteen-year-old Jake is sent to join his parents in Burkina Faso where he anticipates much adventure. Unsurprisingly, adventure finds him and his sister Kas when they are kidnapped by a couple of men trying to blame the kidnapping on Yakuuba Sor, a master of disguise considered by some to be a terrorist and by others to be a hero of the common folks. The action in the book is fast paced with something exciting happening in just about every chapter. There is humor in its pages as well, and readers are likely to be intrigued by the growing awareness of Jake and Kas that things are not as they seem, and that the supposed good guys may not be on the right side, after all. Adding to the intrigue are the nifty technological touches such as low-tech but useful ways to charge batteries, the Mosquito ringtone able to be heard only by young ears, a beetle with a GPS component, and most chilling, the Predator, a highly effective bomb.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake is the son of a British ambassador to Burkina Faso. After getting suspended from boarding school for his boredom reducing activities, he gets more action than he bargained for when he meets up with his family in Africa. He and his sister, Kas, are kidnapped by one of the most feared terrorists in the entire country. Together they must try to survive in the desert while dealing with politics and customs they are unfamiliar with.

The Chameleon is an African teen who is disgusted by the greed and deceit he sees occurring in his country. Using his intelligence and the skills of his friends, he attempts to right the wrongs where he is able. Will the Chameleon be able to help Jake and Kas? Will they survive long enough for him to even have that chance?

The novel is full of accurate information about Burkina Faso that is delivered as integral parts of the story. The use of proverbs is a little over used but always fitting. The constant action and twists will keep both male and female readers hooked!

Read as possible RWF 2013

[Luisa Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jake is expelled from his British private school for playing geo-thimble which prompts him to be out in the middle of the night jumping the walls of a prison, he’s sent to his family in Burkina Faso, a landlocked African country on the southwest border of the Sahara where his father serves as the British ambassador. In an attempt to rescue his sister from being kidnapped, Jake is abducted as well. Technological marvels including Jake's cell phone as well as a simple trail of wrappers could be their salvation, or it could land them in the hands of the most dangerous outlaw in the country, Yakuuba Sor. This action-packed book moves quickly making it very attractive to today’s YA audience. The mix of primitive living with great descriptions of horseback riding juxtaposed against high tech makes an interesting backdrop, and the references to Islaam are subtle with the real enemy being corrupt government officials strangling those barely able to eke out a living. I couldn’t put it down and wound up reading it in less than two days.

[Mark Barsalona · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. The book outlaw is about this kid Jake knight who he and his sister get kidnapped by this man named the chameleon the two are children of a British ambassador the chameleon is sort of a robin hood but blames this other vigilante named Yakuuba Sor for it so the chameleon can cross the Sahara

2. This book was very captivating and I liked it very much it kept me wanting to read I liked that they didnt make the main character seem all skillful at escaping and was like james bond he just sat there and let everything play threw
3. “Stealing from the rich to give to the poor,” said Kas. “It’s robin hood, innit?” (36 davies) to me this shows that not every rich person is snobby and selfish there are the rich tbat want to give to the needy like jakes sister

4. Audiences, purpose, and exigence this is what I can connect to class ex the audiences is for mostly male teen adults and purpose to entertain them

5. id recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and rebellion and also who like a good twist in a book

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake hates the boring restrictiveness of his rigid boarding school, so when he gets suspended for the last six weeks of the term--for sneaking out at night to play a geocaching game he and his friends have invented--he's looking forward to the extra free time and a bit of adventure. Particularly since he'll be spending the time in the sunny, wild, teeming capital of African nation Burkina Faso, where is dad is the British ambassador. Except Jake learns true adventure isn't all that fun after he and his younger sister are kidnapped by Yakuuba Sor, leader of a terrorist group and one of the most wanted outlaws in the Sahara Desert. They must quickly learn about a whole different experience of life if they are to survive long enough to make their way home.

Packed with action, intrigue, high-tech surveillance and weapons, parkour, disguises, cleverness, a variety of cultures and languages, gritty mercilessness, and social awareness, this is an exciting tale of survival in a part of the world unfamiliar to most readers. I definitely enjoyed devouring it quickly.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars (I suspect my younger two boys, who both read it around age 11, would give it at least 5).

This is a great adventure story for middle grades and teens. It tells the story of Jake and his sister Kirsty (aka Kas), children of the British ambassador, who get kidnapped in a plot to undermine Yakuuba Sor. As they travel back to the capital, they struggle to determine who are the "good guys", the "bad guys", and those worthy of trust.

The author works in development in Burkina Faso and portrays the people and culture with sensitivity. The kids have a fairly typical sibling relationship - mostly loving but also strained at times - and a good relationship with their parents. Jake was a bit of a trouble-maker at his boarding school in England due to boredom, and grows to understand true courage and bravery in the course of the adventure.

[Libby Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake Knight has lived a privileged life as the son of a British ambassador. He longs for adventure, but when he and his sister are kidnapped by an African outlaw, he gets more adventure than he ever wanted. Soon, his life is consumed by violence, terrorism, and a desperate race for survival. As Jake travels through the African dessert and small villages he learns about his personal strength while also recognizing the great need of others around him.

Outlaw is a fast-paced adventure story filled with high-tech surveillance equipment, political intrigue, and intense chase scenes. However, it is also a coming-of-age story with surprising messages about sacrifice and compassion. Although some of the story is a little far-fetched, Outlaw is an entertaining story that can educate young readers about some African geography, culture, and political unrest.

[Avi K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outlaw by Stephen Davies is a very interesting book that would be great for anyone who is into adventure and suspence. There is a lot of action in this book and the author really knows how to get your attention from the first page.
Outlaw is about a boy who goes to boarding school and get suspended and returns back to his family. He then gets kidnapped at a hotel and has to go along with the kidnapper until rescued.
This book is definetly a thriller and has a little humor here and there. It's filled with parkour, crazy technology, combat vehicles, and men who will do anything to get to their goals. I would definitely recommend this book to any middle or high school kid who enjoys action, adventure, suspense,etc.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced thriller that would appeal to adventure lovers. After Jake and his sister, Kas, are kidnapped in Burkina Faso they meet a teenage outlaw Yakuuba Sor. Yakuuba Sor has a reputation among authorities as a terrorist, but among those he helps, he's more of a Robin Hood character. The story has elements of the James Bond and Indiana Jones franchises. This will be a go-to book for readers looking for adventure stories or thrillers, for young precocious readers who have exhausted the tween section, but might not be ready for some of the more mature teen books, and for reluctant readers.

[Time to start reading again · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a clean, exciting, and realistic read. I don't have anything bad to say about it; sure, you have your stereotypical main character, but compared to all the feminist junk out there these days? I appreciated having your typical hero guy, actually. The different languages and cultures and proverbs expressed in the book were great, because with the author's background and end notes, the plot was believable. I loved all the different stunts and was always guessing at what Sor was going to do next. I recommend this book to anyone who is tired of reading mediocre books, because this one isn't.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake isn’t too upset when he gets suspended from his English boarding school. It mostly means he gets to spend some extra time with his family in Africa, where his father is an ambassador and have some adventures in the sun. The adventure part of that becomes all too real when his second night home, he and his sister are kidnapped by the notorious outlaw, Yakuuba Sor. Jake and Kas are both strong and brave and Jake is able to use his parkour skills to help aid in their escape.

Good for teens and tweens, full of adventure and cultural references. Parkour isn't as strong a theme in this book as it was in Hacking Timbuktu, but the basics are still there.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the children of the British Ambassador to Burkina Faso are kidnapped, an African Robin Hood-type character called the Chameleon is falsely accused and has to try to get them safely home in order to clear his name.

There's no character development, just action, more action, and techno talk but the mentions of injustices like the practices of European mining companies might make readers interested in learning more. Guys who like Anthony Horowitz or Andrew Klavan might like it.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good adventure, full of information about Burkina Faso (which I knew absolutely nothing about) and the state of some of the African countries that deal with corrupt officials and groups who pirate and kidnap. Jake and his sister Kirsty are the children of the American ambassador, and soon they are at the mercy of the most notorious outlaw in the country. But things are not exactly as they seem in this dangerous turn of events. Good plotting, lots of twists and turns, lots to learn. I would have enjoyed it even more if the writing had been a bit better, but it's still an adventure that some kids will enjoy.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent adventure reminiscent of James Bond/Indiana Jones/Robin Hood. Set in Burkina Faso in Africa which makes it set out. Jake matured in to a fine young man. The cover is misleading. I kept wondering how skateboarding fit into kidnapping and the rescue throughout most of the book. Turns out that the young man on the cover is scaling a very tall wall just like Jake in the book. I believe the cover needs to be different because I would not have read this title based on the cover, which I do. I was cataloging it and skimmed the first few pages and the inside cover to determine that it seemed like a good read.

P.S. The cover featured here is different and much better!!

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this for Clash of theTitles, I didn't expect to enjoy it. At first, I didn't like Jake's sister, and felt like Jake was ignorant, but over time, I grew fond of him. His ability to climb/jump over walls I found unique. The kidnapping was kind of low key, and I don't think that it WAS really Stockholm Syndrome affecting them (otherwise I wouldn't have read it). Yakkuba Sor reminded me of Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. In fact, him using a slingshot also made me think of David and Goliath, Goliath being the politicians and men in power who care nothing for the unwealthy.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting adventure story. This book is set in Burkina Faso, a small country in Africa. At first, you think the outlaw is the Ambassador's son, Jake, but as the story progresses, you learn about another, more traditional outlaw, Yakuuba Sor, who helps protect people in Burkina Faso from corrupt police and sheiks. The book was originally published in Britain. There is plenty of cultural content of AFrica, adventure, and clever ingenuity. Sort of a MacGyver meets Africa (if anyone still remembers MacGyver.)

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than Hacking Timbuktu , in my opinion. Still the tight, fast-paced plotting, and I didn't notice any critical "loose ends" in the story-telling. The various teenagers all employ the tools commonly at their fingertips to get rid of "the bad guys" (their kidnappers) but because the characters come from the UK and Burkina Faso, the tools they have to work with are quite eclectic and suspense-inducing. Slingshots and cell phones all become "clever" in this tale that asks the question of what lengths we are willing to go to protect our unknown neighbor.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake, fifteen, sneaks out of his English boarding school to play a game he and his friends call geothimble. When the game traps him in a prison exercise yard he is caught by the police, suspended from school, and sent back to live with ambassador dad, mom, and sister in Burkina Faso. Jake and his sister are kidnapped by a political faction and the ensuing adventures are fast and furious. Interesting characters and very useful info about how to use sour milk to charge a cell phone. Adventure fans will like this.

[Milena Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so vivid and thrilling that I felt like I was actually in the book riding a motorcycle with Jake and on a horse with Kas.

This book was about a teenage boy named Jake who is expelled from a boarding school and sent to Burkina Faso where his English ambassador parents and sister are living. He expects a peaceful vacation but instead, he and his sister is kidnapped by a man and accomplice trying to get ransom money. When they're saved by teenage boy, the three of them are still in trouble when Jake and Kas's parents don't believe them.