Andreo's Race

by Pam Withers

Just as sixteen-year-old Andreo is about to compete in a death-defying, multi-sport race in rugged Bolivia, he and his friend Raul (another Bolivian adoptee) learn that their adoptive parents may have acquired them illegally. Their epic journey to pursue the truth gets them entangled with a gang of baby traffickers, endangering their very lives.

Compelling, poignant, and heart-stopping, Andreo’s Race takes readers on a perilous quest to discover the true meaning of family.

Genres: Young Adult, Family, Sports, Action, Friendship, Adoption, Bolivia

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Award-winning YA author Pam Withers -- a former outdoor guide, journalist and editor -- has written 21 sports and outdoor adventure books for teens. She has been nominated for three Red Maple Awards and numerous others. Besides her novels, she has written an athlete's biography and Jump-Starting Boys, a book for parents on getting boys to read. Pam lives in Vancouver, Canada, and tours North America extensively.

Reviews

[Ashton Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review on andreos race
A nice book that i read as slowly as i could to receive all of the detail i could to understand . Full of adventure, serious topics such as adoption are mixed with extreme sports in an adventure race across Bolivia including canoing, mountain biking, a white water rafter and outdoor Person, along with being the mom of boys it is seen that the author wrote what she knows is best and that shows through in her
writing which is super easy research. The book begins

with the two 16 year old characters biking at night and

the actions they do until they meet the climax of the story.

Also there is something in there about the story of a family who learns

A lesson in how to be closer a family by showing love with

each other, also we see the dark side of illegally adopted children from
all sides.

A harsh read and one of those books that could grab the attention of
a constant reader who loves extreme sports.

overall i love this book.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced action-packed read that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. I enjoyed Withers book "Descent" but this one is even better. Full of adventure, serious topics such as adoption and baby trafficking are mixed with extreme sports in an adventure race across Bolivia including canoeing, mountain biking, and caving. A former whitewater rafter and outdoor enthusiast, along with being the mother of boys, it's quite apparent the author writes what she knows best and that comes through in her writing which is full of detail and obvious research. The book begins with the two 16yo main characters biking in the Rockies at night and the action, tension and drama never stops for a moment until the exciting climax. Mixed in there is also the story of a family who learns a lesson in how to be closer as a family by showing love and trust with each other plus we see the dark side of baby trafficking from all sides. A riveting read and one of those books that could grab the attention of a reluctant reader who is into extreme sports.

[Kari (BookandCoffeeLover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventure,mystery, and discovering the true meaning of family, Andreo's Race was a solid enjoyable read, Andreo's excursion through Bolivia was packed with humour and longing. Fascinating characters and plot twists keep you interested until the very end.

[Tucker Sarver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been through some hard challenges?How about training for six months.Andreo’s Race by Pam Withers is a fiction book about the life of two boys. The two boys named Andreo and Raul were both adopted from the country of Bolivia. They are competing in an adventure race in the wilderness called the Iron Man in their home country. During their training for the Iron Man race they become suspicious of their adoptions and start investigating. I like this book because it had a lot of adventures and challenges on the way with training and competing in the adventure race called the Iron Man. In the beginning, they were going through hard challenges within the trails while training for the Iron Man. Throughout there were challenges that weren’t race related at all, that kept the story interesting. In the ending of the book they find out what they were looking for was true. while finding out the truth, this pushed them to their limits, both physically and mentally. This has taught me that no matter your past experiences if you stay strong mentally you can overcome any obstacles you come to in life. I would recommend this to teenagers because it shows life lessons and challenges that other teenagers may have. This book is recommended for 12 to 15-year-olds in. The grade level is 7-9.
Have you ever been through some hard challenges?How about training for six months.Andreo’s Race by Pam Withers is a fiction book about the life of two boys. The two boys named Andreo and Raul were both adopted from the country of Bolivia. They are competing in an adventure race in the wilderness called the Iron Man in their home country. During their training for the Iron Man race they become suspicious of their adoptions and start investigating. I like this book because it had a lot of adventures and challenges on the way with training and competing in the adventure race called the Iron Man. In the beginning, they were going through hard challenges within the trails while training for the Iron Man. Throughout there were challenges that weren’t race related at all, that kept the story interesting. In the ending of the book they find out what they were looking for was true. while finding out the truth, this pushed them to their limits, both physically and mentally. This has taught me that no matter your past experiences if you stay strong mentally you can overcome any obstacles you come to in life. I would recommend this to teenagers because it shows life lessons and challenges that other teenagers may have. This book is recommended for 12 to 15-year-olds in. The grade level is 7-9.

[GiovannniR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andreo loves to bike so when the opportunity came to participate in a death-defying multi sport race in Bolivia he and his best friend Raul took to the challenge. But while being registered to the race both of the friends learn that their parents may not be their real parents and that they didn’t acquire them legally. Andreo and Raul face many challenges along their journey including baby traffickers and other life-threatening challenges. What I like about “Andreo’s race” by Pam Withers is that it mixes adventure and mystery into one book which is something that I really enjoy to read because I like books that have mystery and adventure in them. What I don’t like about the book is that it’s too short, there should be more to the story. I would recommend this book to teenagers that like books that include adventure or mystery plots.

[Tricia F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andreo has known all his life that he didn't fit in with his family. Not only was he different than his younger brother David, but he could sense that his mother didn't really feel connected to him at all. Then he finds out he was adopted. Now his parents are acting strange and won't tell him anything about the adoption, how they came to find him, or even who his real parents are.

An Adventure Race in Bolivia, the place of Andreo's birth may just lead him to all of the answers he is looking for...but will his parents allow him to ask the questions?

[Juan Cantero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andreo’s Race is a decent book because there were part of the book that were decent ,but for me it wasn’t a book that you pick up and read and wants to make you read more. I visualize this book as a rushed action movie because where i got exited was toward the ending. The thing i didn’t like was there how the parent let Andreo go out and not worry about him like it was just easy putting a card that said he is going for a run. They don’t tell what the parents do or if they really worry, there is not a lot of description of what they do in the meantime and about the adoption. I like about this book is the plot twist of how Andreo the main character realize who is his real family. The book is predictable and i wish the main character got a better ending but sad truth he does not. The end for me is cheesy how everything is happy and joyful and like nothing really happened. They forget real quick that they decide to go to see then ending of the race to see the girl finish.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Canadian Andreo enjoys the high life with his wealthy parents even while never feeling as though he quite fits in. When his father's plans to compete in an international adventure race in Bolivia, his birthplace, coincide with his desire to learn more about his adoption, he and his best friend, Raul, also a Bolivian adoptee, plot to make contact with his family of origin. Once they arrive in Bolivia, they are aided by a detective, but as it turns out, Andreo's mother is not what he expects. This fast-paced story of family and the true meaning of family is an eye-opener as it describes the activities of those who trafficked in babies, selling them at a high price to families desperate for a child. While I liked a lot of the book, particularly the friendship between Andreo and Raul, and both boys' determination to get to the bottom of things, there were quite a few coincidences that detracted from the book, and I found it hard to believe that two educated, well-informed adults like Andreo's parents could be so naïve when it came to his origins. Surely, they had to have some suspicions. There are great descriptions of the race and the family dynamics and the way both boys felt as though they didn't fit until they returned to Bolivia, and yet, they clearly didn't fit there either.

[Julie Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this story from NetGalley and it intrigued me because it deals with illegal adoptions. I have several friends who adopted from Guatemala before adoptions were closed there because of scandals.

In this book Andreo has always felt a bit of an odd man out. He was adopted from Bolivia right before his mom found out she was pregnant. His brother, David is only 6 months younger but Andreo feels that David is favored because he is their "real" child. He has also always wondered about his birth family but the topic has been taboo at home. When David's family, avid athletes, decides to participate in an extreme race in Bolivia Andreo and his friend Raul (also adopted from Bolivia) decide to take the opportunity to look for their birth families. They find some documentation with names and also find out that the man who orchestrated their adoption has been arrested for illegal adoptions.

Upon arriving things start going amazingly well and they receive help from a detective. But...be careful what you wish for and who you trust.

I liked the book overall but I wish more of the discovery and reveal had been natural. At the end it felt like an episode of Scooby Doo where the recap everything. It seemed a bit awkward.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 16-year-old's family adventure race in Bolivia turns into an opportunity to track down his birth family and uncover an illegal adoption syndicate. Sound ridiculous? It is. The adventure parts are engaging and clearly the author's specialty, but the adoption parts are atrocious. The adoptive parents need some serious therapy. They never talk about adoption and hide all the details from their son, though he's obviously adopted. The story is predictable and painful, especially major adoption issues are glossed over or treated like minor concerns. At the end everything is wrapped up neatly with tidy apologies. It's good to see more stories addressing international adoption and even being willing to tackle the dark side of it. But this book doesn't do it justice.

[Janice Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andreo and his friend Raul were both adopted from Bolivia, but neither knows much about the circumstances surrounding their adoption. Shortly before Andreo, his brother David, his mom and dad and his friend Raul leave Canada and travel to Bolivia to compete in a multi-sport cycling and caving race, two events happen which change the way Andreo thinks about his adoptive family; he gets a look inside the family safe and sees his adoption papers and he sees a televised newscast about a criminal who has been arrested in Bolivia for illegally selling babies for thousands of dollars. He suspects that he and Raul were among the babies acquired illegally. Quick paced and entertaining especially if you're into cross country cycling or off road bike racing.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andreo and his family are big into competitive sports, especially multi-sport races. When they sign up to compete as a family in a race in Bolivia, they take along Andreo's best friend, Raul. As it turns out, both Andreo and Raul were born in this area of Bolivia and adopted by their US parents. The coincidences pile up and they discover a ring of human traffickers selling infants to desperate parental-wanna-be's.

Lots of action and adventure. Good for fans of Hatchet. Also good for those moving from hi-lo Orca books to something longer in length.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade adventurers and sports readers will enjoy Andreo's Race, the story of an adopted boy who takes on a grueling race with fellow adoptee and best friend Raul. The race takes place in their birth country of Bolivia and the boys find themselves searching for their birth mothers during the race. Part mystery, part thriller, the novel's pace races to its unbelievable climax.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An fast-paced, action-packed story mixing the unlikely topics of adventure racing in Bolivia and illegal adoption. Intriguing and exciting.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Actual. This would be good for reluctant readers. Lots of sports action along with themes of family, fitting in, adoption ethics. Quick read.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise but just ok to read

[Kim Piddington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced mixture of sports and mystery is sure to hook young boys.