Baboon

by David Jones

Fourteen-year-old Gerry Copeland has mixed feelings about flying back to his parents’ research camp in the African savanna. While his biologist mom and dad study baboon behavior, he’ll be thinking about the video arcade and restaurants back in the city.

Suddenly, their small plane’s engine stutters and dies. They go down hard. Gerry wakes up thinking a baboon has broken his fall. He’s shocked to realize the furry arm is his own. Somehow, he’s become one of the beasts his parents are studying. Gerry’s only chance is to stay with the baboon troop. His parents don’t recognize him and he begins to lose hope he’ll ever be human again. His final, desperate bid to turn back means giving up the animal family he’s come to care about for the human family where he truly belongs.

BABOON is the riveting story of one teenager’s journey into the heart of the baboon world, where he confronts terrifying attacks by predators and humans, threatening behavior within the troop, and the day-to-day struggle to survive.

Genres: Animals, Adventure, Young Adult, Middle Grade

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name
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Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me a lot about the life of baboons. It was about a boy who got in an accident and supposedly died and turned into a baboon. He spends his baboon life with a pack of them, experiencing there every day lives, like eating, mating, and fighting for dominance. The end was a great twist, shocking you and then finally relaxing back to normal again. Great book. (Written on May 21, 2012)

[Julie Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baboon takes students on an adventure through the eyes of a young boy who turns in to a baboon when his family's plane crashes in Africa. What does the boy do to survive? He learns to use his new baboon brain until his family finally figures out what happened and get his body switched back. We read this book as a part of the National Geographic Reach for Reading curriculum over the course of a month. Students were completely enthralled and couldn't wait to read what happened next.

[Kaylee Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's OK but I had to push my self to finish it

[Driss Haddadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because I saw that this book is a book that's in my lexile level, not like the summer vacation books. This book talks about a person that had a relationship with a baboon a happy little baboon that is nice. The thing that was a bit creepy is the picture on the cover of the book, but except that, that book is awesome.

The author is a british man that wasn't only an author, he was also a poet and also a painter. He drew a lot of beautiful paintings and he mostly drew trees, and fountains. He wan't only painting, he also wrote a lot of books and one of his best books were "Baboon". David Jones wrote a lot of cookbooks bestselling books, and he sells his books online in his own website.

"Baboon" is one of the best books that I ever read in my life because it really gave me reasons to read. One of the reasons are that it attracted me because it's very interesting and it's really exciting. Every time I finish a chapter, I want to read even more because of suspense. So if anybody can read this book, I'll encourage you to do so.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

When me and my sister were younger we sometimes went to the library and picked a book for each other to read. This is one of the ones that my sister got for me. I can see why she picked it, at that time I was a picky reader and books with animals were among the only things I would read. This was not one of the good animal stories though. I found it very boring. It had good ideas but they weren't executed well enough for my liking.

[Jacqueline Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok book,I got extremely cofused bacause he gets reincarnated when his body is still alive.

Then he hangs out with a bunch of baboons. He had gotten reincarnated into a baboon. He was in a coma for 8 months. And when he was in his baboon form he got killed and eaten by a jaguar or panther or some type of big, wild cat.The he became human again. And awoke from his coma

[Rebecca Mckenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a baboon? Gerry finds out as he becomes one after his plane has crashed in Africa. David Jones' attention to detail is phenomenal - almost as if he himself was in the mind of a baboon! It was a really interesting story but the ending was all too predictable.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I had to read it for my reading class, and I was greatly disappointed with my teacher's choice. I thought the plot was the worst, why a baboon? why not something we can relate to like a cat, or dog, or something fictional to learn about? We cannot relate to this book or the plot, therefore, I do not recommend this book to you.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up, purely because it was set in Africa. I loved it! 14 year old boy survives a plane crash, but wakes up as a baboon! Kind of reminiscent of Dickenson's "Eva", but there is some wonderful insight into life in a baboon troop, with a very cool twist.

[Rivkah · Rating 4 out of 5]

basic yet intriging outline, a plane crashes, and a boy turns into a baboon. Life of a baboon is intresting. I suppose the author must have had to study a lot to write this book. Very kid freindly, but also very open to
YA readers.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is very cool for teens. it tell yo alot on what a orifnary teen thinks like and how the kid changes through out thr book. finding a baboon was a very cool experience for the kidd. i would recomend this book to the tenns.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat story about a boy whose mind gets placed within the body of a baboon after a plane crash. Living as a baboon is not as easy as you might think, and as the weeks go by -even thinking doesn't come easy.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was quick and not very good. The premise sounded interesting but it's execution was choppy and Gerry wasn't very likeable and it left me unsatisfied with the unfunny, bad story which was not what had been promised.

[[non] (+devilz+) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a very nice adventure book, the story is very interesting, especially if you like adventure books. Also, sometimes it tells about the life of baboons and their survival methods which is also very interesting. I liked this book a lot (5/5)

[Donna L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though predicable, this was a good read, especially for YA, but enjoyable for adults, also. It gives lots of great information in narrative form about baboons that I didn't know.

[Becka]

I'm not done it yet and it is due for a project. Personaly? I hate it the beggining was like over in 2 pages now they have nothing to talk about.

[Jastin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first silver birch book i ever read! It was very good!

[Pui See · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventurous, Gerry is smart. Good book for Teens especially boys.