Downriver

River #1

by Will Hobbs

Breaking away from the other participants in the Discovery America program, Jessie and her new friends set out to explore unknown caves and brave dangerous waterfalls without adult supervision, a permit, or a river map. Reprint. SLJ.

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Survival, Realistic Fiction, School, Middle Grade

204 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 30, 1991

About the author

WILL HOBBS is the author of seventeen novels for upper elementary, middle school and young adult readers, as well as two picture book stories. Seven of his novels, Bearstone, Downriver, The Big Wander, Beardance, Far North, The Maze, and Jason's Gold, were named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. ALA also named Far North and Downriver to their list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of the Twentieth Centrury. Ghost Canoe received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1998 for Best Young Adult Mystery.

In outdoor stories that appeal to both boys and girls, Hobbs has readers discovering wild places, sharing adventures with people from varied backgrounds, and exploring how to make important choices in their own lives. A graduate of Stanford University and former reading and language arts teacher, Will has been a full-time writer since 1990. He lives with his wife, Jean, in Durango, Colorado.

Will's books have won many other awards, including the California Young Reader Medal, the Western Writers of America Spur Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the Colorado Book Award, and nominations to state award lists in over thirty states.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you know me, you know i am a fan of teen survival fiction. well, any survival fiction, but usually teen fiction is written with more immediacy and doesn't use the genre to mask any deeper metaphors. it is what it is - live through this, or don't. no need for anything deeper, just primal, keep-breathing stuff. so with this one, i thought i was getting an untapped goldmine: a program for "bad kids" which forces them to hike and raft and climb and grind out their energies, redirecting them towards wholesome, outdoorsy activities instead of, well, stabbing. so the premise is that a bunch of them break out and steal some gear and decide "we will raft the grand canyon alone and unsupervised and then you will all recognize." or something like that.

"ooh," i thought, rubbing my hands together..."this is like the start of those programs about world's dumbest individuals. there is no way this is going to end well."

so imagine my disappointment. is this a spoiler? there is a sequel, so i feel like it is not. but this is not a teen survival novel. it is a teen adventure novel, which is similar, but not as cool. if these were actual teen delinquents, i think i would like it more; i feel like they would be more interesting. it seems like an odd program, the kids seem mismatched - one is in fact a stabber, one is just drifting homeless, one i think cut class or something - it seems like maybe you would move the knifey one into another group, with more hardcore cases. most of these kids seem less dangerous and more just moody.

i also just like a book where there are consequences to actions. i like justice. ISFJ, bitches! this grand canyon rafting lark was a totally stupid thing to do - you have no training, not enough food, no guide book, what on earth are you doing?? i have never been white water rafting (i pause for laughter at the very thought of me attempting such hahaahhahha) but i know that sometimes, people drown doing it. so to blithely put themselves into this situation with relatively few consequences, well, it makes me want to drown a couple of them just to say, "see?? danger!!"

oh, did i mention one of them captured a scorpion and was keeping it as a pet in a plastic soap dish?? these dummies do not deserve a sequel.

survival - good
adventure (and that bee) - bad.

come to my blog!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I grew up with and falls into the same type of camp as books by Gary Paulsen such as his forever long Hatchet series and the original Swiss Family Robinson. Unlike the latter, which was more family-oriented, this book follows more Brian from Hatchet in putting a young adult into a survival-type of situation although unlike Brian these kids have a silver spoon thus allowing it to be a bit cleaner as well as not a full survival from the elements but a survival from themselves novel.

The author does a great job in writing the book from the viewpoint of a young female protagonist although at times it felt like the stereotypical teen female was used. As a result although the book can be considered for both male and female audiences there seems to be just a little bit more of a female slant thus a slight romantic leaning for the story itself even when the story takes its ultimate turn.

You can hear the passion of the author's love in the Grand Canyon, rafting and the nature that he is known for filling his books with. Thus readers will be introduced to a slightly educational read that will allow them to explore this favored tourists' destination and to get to know what it takes to be able to face the Colorado even if the presented events lean more towards unrealistic in a sense.

All in all the characters were also strongly developed and although we are given with a juvenile background not all of them seem to fit. This actually compares in real life with these types of institutions being used as collection basis for those who don't fit into society such as a hospital where teens have been admitted since there is no foster home placement or children who have been extremely bullied are kept with those who have varying mental health problems. It truly is sad that society sometimes doesn't know how to handle all the remnants of society.

Due to its otherwise realistic human element and the pages full of adventure as well as a silent reverence for nature this book will always continue to be one of my favorites and a must-go-to for a good adventure story.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near-death experiences and then rising out of it, all the more erudite and prudent, is a genre that has been in fashion for ages. And the current movie, Thirteen Lives, a dramatisation of the eighteen day mission to rescue a dozen boys aged 11-16 and their football coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand has caught our thoughts. Searching online for related fiction, I smacked into this book. The narrative unfolds one summer, when an assemblage of troubled teens find themselves in an open-air education program, Discovery Unlimited, under the leadership of an adult they don't value much. Consequently, one day they take the situation in hand, scrounge the required gear, and head downriver into the Grand Canyon, enjoying the caves and waterfalls and the delights of whitewater rafting. Narrated by the fifteen-year-old Jessie, who is annoyed at her father for remarrying, the chronicle shows her mental expansion and progress over and above that of the rest of her group. Ultimately pursued by park rangers and helicopters, the teens come out tattered and injured from their wilderness experience. But Jessie and her friends have learned a good deal in the course, about themselves and nature — and the reader has been taken along for a journey packed with exhilaration and escapade.

[Cadin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downriver is a adventure book about eight teenagers that are sent away to a Juvenile summer camp for misbehaved kids. The main character Jessie is going through a rough patch in her life and is sent to this camp along with seven other kids. A couple weeks go by and Jessie has gotten to know everyone a little, and they are now attempting to go out on a white water rafting trip in Arizona. As they stop to get gas their instructor had left his keys in the van and they had all their supplies on the van and trailer. They decided to take off with the rafting equipment and set off towards the Grand Canyon where they thought they would have the rafting time of their lives. Or so they thought..

[Melissa Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1991, the YA/middle grade/juvenile novel, "Downriver," by Will Hobbs, has (according to Wikipedia) never been out of print. It's about a group of troubled teens enrolled in a wilderness therapy program who steal a couple of boats and illegally raft the Grand Canyon without adult supervision. The teenagers suffer no serious consequences because this book is not serious.

I honestly did not enjoy this book, but I can see why it's popular with middle school and junior high students, especially boys.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action stories that in no way adhere to reality, but present themselves as being realistic.

I read parts of this book aloud to my husband, while we were making a long-distance car trip. He kept interrupting to yell about how unrealistic and "totally annoying" this book is. I told him the unreality is exactly what makes it so enjoyable to other readers. My husband was baffled that anyone could enjoy this book. I told him people really enjoy survival stories that are entirely unrealistic; something about the combination of fantasy passing itself off as a gritty survival tale just lights people up.

"Downriver" was not for me. But if you like fantastical survival tales starring teenagers, pick this one up.

One star for me personally. Three stars because I can understand the appeal; I'm just not the audience for this book.

[Mary Anne Trunnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was fairly interested and excited to read this. However, all in all, this wasn't that great of a read. It was fun to escape to white rapids and raging rivers, but I didn't connect very much to the characters, story, and "morals." The ending was sugar-coated chocolate dipped in a vat of molasses with giant sugar cubes dumped on top. I don't really know what I wanted the end to be, but I felt it was far too neatly tied up and sickeningly sweet. But, at the same time, I did want a happy ending, maybe just not so "perfect."

[Keegan Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

DOWNRIVER is an adventure novel written by Will Hobbs. He wrote a long and interesting story about a young girl at a camp that goes on a long hike with her friends and they all have a big adventure together. During the story, they all get to know and connect with each other.
Will Hobbs uses setting, conflict, and characters to complete the story. The characters in the story went to a lot of places, and there were a lot of names of all the places they went in the story. There were so many fights and arguments with all the characters. It would of been better to get to know the characters a little more, but the way the story described the setting and all the places the characters went was really good.
The characters had a really hard time getting along and making decisions, but they were all really good at getting ideas. I think this book is a good book to read, but there's probably some places that can be improved. I would recommend that someone who loves to read long stories with big chapters in it should read this book.

[George Abdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. I really liked the setting and all of the characters. I would recommend this book to other kids in the middle school. This book always kept me on the edge of my seat and I really enjoyed all of the adventures in the story.

[Jack Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Hobbs did a great job writing this book, I enjoyed it! It wasn't perfect, but I would still recommend.

[Nancy Bielski · Rating 1 out of 5]

This 100% sounds like something teenagers would do. If I weren’t a teacher of teens and so frustrated by the kids’ actions, I’d probably have given this another star.

[Renee Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

English 425 Submitter’s name: Renee Hess
Book Bank Book Bank subject: Novel Approach

Reference information:
Title: Downriver
Author: Will Hobbs
Publisher: Dell Laurel-leaf Year: 1996
# of pages: 204 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: ages 11 and up
Potential hot lava:
A few curse words, drinking, running away, and stealing

General response/reaction:
I truly liked this book. It was full of excitement and it kept my interest throughout. It was also a very easy read, which I liked.

Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
Finding oneself

Characters:
Jessie, Freddy, Star, Troy, Rita, Adam, Pug, Heather, Al, Madeline, and Jessie’s father

Plot summary:
Jessie was facing a lot of problems once her father met a new woman. She was hanging out with “bad company” and getting into trouble. Her father sent her to Discovery Unlimited to give her a chance to find herself. The Discovery Unlimited program was to help troubled teens find better ways to deal with their problems by hiking, mountain climbing, and white water rafting. Jessie meets a lot of new people with troubled pasts and they all try to do what was asked of them. One day Troy had the idea to steal Al’s (the leader) van full of equipment and go white water rafting through the Grand Canyon’s rapids. These teens make it out okay and hit up the rapids. For days they were on their own battling the water and watching out for one another. On the sixth day they were surprised by the appearance of Al. He showed up and told them that if he could join along then they would not get into trouble. The next day, Al led the teen’s right into the arms of the rangers and police. They all worked together to get away and continued to battle the water. Throughout the next few day’s things kept getting worse and the group started to realize what a jerk Troy was. Adam dislocated his arm and managed to gash his foot open, while Troy and Pug put a scorpion in Freddy’s sleeping bag where he was stung twice in the spine. Jessie, Freddy, Rita, Star, and Adam fled from Troy and Pug only to later be caught by the police and rangers. They gave up quickly because Adam and Freddy both needed to get to a hospital. Later on in the story Jessie returns back home only to be comforted by Madeline and her father. Star ended up living with Jessie and her family. Adam ended up becoming an employee for Hoods in the Woods (Discovery Unlimited) and Rita went back to New York. Freddy was in Colorado to get rehabilitated and then he was shooting for a position for the Forest Service Hot Shots. Troy ended up not getting picked up by the rangers and the police because he ran, but he was then later found and picked up in LA.

Strengths (including reviews and awards):
Winner of California Young Reader Medal

This book provided great detail and excitement that made it interesting. Once I got started with the book I couldn’t put it down.

Drawbacks or other cautions:
The book seemed like it ended without a proper let down. I felt that I was caught up in the excitement of the river and then they were back home. I felt like the ending should have been planned out better.

Teaching ideas:
I feel that before reading this book, teachers could do a unit on the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River so the students reading the book can have a good idea of what to imagine while reading. Also, a lesson on making right decisions could be added in after reading this book.

[Brendan Folk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jessie is on an adventure in the Grand Canyon area of the United States. She is white water rafting with newly found friends. There are no adults on this trip, just 6 teenagers all around the age of 15. This group, that happens to be together, is actually a bunch of juvenile delinquents from all over the country that have joined together to receive treatment for their troubled past.
The main characters in the book are Jessie, the narrator or the book; Troy, the so called leader of the group; Star, the quiet one; Adam, the comedian; Pug, the brute of the group; and Freddy, the wildlife extraordinaire. This book takes place in the Grand Canyon, along the Colorado River, and there is no time period given for this book. In the story, the characters struggle to advance through the major white waters of the Colorado. During their adventure, they struggle to work together and find who will lead them through the rough water. Will this group make it out of the Grand Canyon in one piece or will they lose lives along the way? Throughout the book, Jessie learns that she needs to get to know who someone really is before she trusts them with her life. Sometimes in life, it is better to take the road less traveled and learn important life lessons along the way.
I wanted to read this book because I enjoy reading adventure books that have anything to do with wildlife. This book reminds of the hunting adventures that I take with my dad, and how we really love just being outdoors, enjoying ourselves. I was excited to read this book because of its author, Will Hobbs. I have read some of his books in the past and I really thought highly of them. However, I did not like this one as much as the previous books by Mr. Hobbs.
I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone. I found it to be a very dull book with not much action at all. In some parts of the book, I could really get into it, but in others, I literally had to make myself keep reading. This book is aimed at teens who are interested in the outdoors. I say this because the surroundings of the characters are always described very well. I believe this is done to keep the readers interest. I would also recommend this book to people who think that no one is on their side, because Jessie thinks that her dad sent her to this camp just to get rid of her.

[Simon Lindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine being a teenager going on an adventure of a lifetime down the Grand Canyon with no adults. This is the basis of the plot for Downriver. The story begins with a group of rebellious teenagers that are sent to a program called Discovery Unlimited, or as the teens call it, Hoods in the Woods. Discovery Unlimited is run by Al, and he takes the group of teenagers out into the wilderness for nine weeks: trekking, camping, climbing, and rafting. There are eight teenagers in the group: Troy, Freddy, Adam, Pug, Jessie, Rita, Star, and Heather. The group has just finished a 5 day trek in the rugged San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado and their next adventure is to raft down the San Juan River. Troy decides that rafting down the San Juan River will be too tame, so he persuades the other teenagers to hijack Al’s van, with all the rafts and equipment, and raft down the wild white water of the Grand Canyon.

The teenagers are in a substantial amount of trouble because they lack the National Park permit that allows them access to the Grand Canyon. They are now on the run from the law and are too inexperienced to be trying a trip as big as the Grand Canyon, especially without a map. Tension rises between Troy and Jessie as the book progresses; this causes some challenging issues.

We learn from the book Downriver by Will Hobbs that sometimes in life we face unexpected consequences for our actions. In the book the kids thought they were all off on a fun adventure, but they did not consider the possibility of serious danger. I selected this book because I am going to the Grand Canyon this summer and I thought that the cover looked intriguing. The author promised that the book would have a suspenseful and exciting plot, and the book certainly had all of that. I would recommend that anyone read this book if they are looking for an outdoor, adventure book with lots of action, it was a real page turner. If you prefer a book with beautiful, descriptive writing this may not be the book for you. I felt that this book was so amazing that I am now hooked and I want to read the sequel, River Thunder.

[Jennifer Carafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

General response/reaction: I love reading books about adventure so I naturally liked this book. I like how there are so many characters because it’s easy to find a common ground and understanding with at least one of the characters. Very fast paced

Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: Making serious decisions, friendship, learning lessons and their consequences, team work, trust, & survival

Characters: Jessie: girl who is sent to a summer program
Heather: a city girl, get very frightened and everyone thinks she ditched them.
Rita: a very tough girl from New York City who was involved in crime
Star: a survivor was homeless for years on the streets. She is very superstitious.
Adam: A joker and never takes anything seriously
Troy: troubled but is a great and powerful leader
Pug: has a hard time making his own decisions, follows everyone else
Freddy: Is very quite but has a great feel for nature
Al: Program’s Supervisor

Plot summary: Jessie’s Father sends her to summer camp for troublesome teenagers. She goes and ends up meets many new friends. They all like the program and discover they enjoy river rafting the best. All the characters name themselves “Hoods in the Woods” and begin to rebel against Al. They finally steal Al’s van and all his rafting equipment and begin to go on a rafting adventure to be risky. Finally Rangers find them and rescue them.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely crazy. The main character a girl named Jessie was placed in a trouble makers camp by her father. There a man by the name of al was in charge. At the camp they had to complete task like climbing up mountains and other kinds of trials in the woods. At one point they went rafting which Jessie and all her other trouble making friends loved. They soon decided that they wanted to steal Al's boats and supplies and go illegally without a permit to travel down the Colorado River. They have the time of their lives as they encounter the many rapids along their way. The thing that made me love this book was I never new what was going to happen. I never new what would happen to them as they faced eached rapid or what in the world that they were going to do next. I was expecting it to be a nice little survival story but it was more than that. It exceeding my expectations by a mile. I love this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of the books my teacher made us read during this school year. My friend read it when i was reading Tuesdays with Morrie and he said Downriver was really good. And it turned out it was.

Down River is about this camp kids go to that might be in trouble with the law or if their parents just want to send them to this camp. They all go river rafting for one of their trips and it turned out that the teens liked it so when their camp instructor went into the gas station all of the campers decided that they were going to steal the van with all that river rafting supplies and raft the Grand Canyon.

They have no permit, and no river map. They have to raft the rapids not knowing how big they might be.

This book is full of challenges and adventure. I think it is a great book for anyone of any age to read.

[Logan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

in the book down river they are on the colorado river on a white water rafting trip for a summer program

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessie is put out when her father forces her into a "wilderness therapy" program. He's convinced she's hanging out with the wrong crowd and is on a path to self-destruction. Jessie knows that if he would just get off her back, things would be okay. Camp is pretty lame, but things take a turn for the better when Jessie and her new friends decide to set off on their own rafting down the Colorado River. But can these kids survive the rapids without their guide?

The story, rife with adventure, explores the meaning of friendship and leadership. A group of very different kids, each with their own problems and hangups, has to work together to survive. They may or may not do so successfully. I really enjoyed this story and will look for more by Will Hobbs.

[Ana Marlatt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I have read in a long while. I want to know: what happened, Will Hobbs???? Ridiculous plot, boring.... Not at all like his many other books. How disappointing. I just could not wait for this book to end. I made myself read it to the end so that I would be able to say: don't read it!!!! Life is too short for books like this. And for the many kids out there who might want to read it based on Hobbs' many other excellent books: authors make mistakes, this is one of them. Delinquent kids make crazy choices and suffer no consequences. Really? Now my big question is: what do I do with this book? Door stop? Recycling bin? Fuel for outdoor fire? Seriously... I am not even wasting shelf space on this one.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book randomly when I was in high school and then forgot about it. But reading it likely planted seeds of wanting to raft the Grand Canyon. I read it again just now, after actually rafting the Grand Canyon as an adult. It was the perfect mix of YA plus outdoor adventure plus personal nostalgia for the canyon itself. I'll have to check out other Will Hobbs books now!

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, the characters felt bland. They need more personality, and not that they were "bad" kids. Also, I feel like Jessie is just a stereotypical girl. She falls in love with Troy, then regrets it in the later chapters. Couldn't she feel like Troy is a little fishy in the beginning? Overall, didn't like this book.

[Hannah Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still a terrible book.

[Kelly Boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

General response/reaction:
I enjoyed this book and have even considered reading the sequel to the book.

Subject, Themes, and Big Ideas:
- Surviving the Teenage years
- Making the right or wrong decision and its consequences
- Growing up
- Affects of a parent re-marring after their spouse has died
- Following the leader vs. being a leader

Characters:
Jessie: The main character who the story is told from the point of view of. She is in the program with the other characters because she has been acting out ever since her dad has started being with his girlfriend after her mother died.

Star: A homeless girl who enters what the teen characters call “the hoods in the woods” program. She is very mystical and her and Jessie become close friends and at the end of the novel they even become sisters when Jessie’s dad and step-mom adopt Star.

Troy: Hot blonde hair blue eyes surfer guy. Jessie is attracted to him and later finds out he may be dangerous because everything has to be his way. Also he is the leader of the group when they escape the program and he loves to be in charge.

Rita: A character who is from New York which is evident in the way she talks and her personality. She used to run a stole items gang in New York.

Adam: Is a curly head redhead who is the clown of the group. He never takes anything serious and is always trying to make a joke. He is also a big fan of ninjas.

Pug: He is a big guy who is Troy’s most loyal follower. He loves that he is big and he is in all aspects a meathead.

Freddy He is very mysterious and keeps to himself a lot. In the end though, he becomes the most valuable member of the group, because he has survival skills that the others do not posses.

Al: Is the camp counselor of the group of kids who are sent there at the belief that the wilderness will straighten them out.


Plot Summary:

At the beginning of the story Jessie, Star, Troy, Rita, Adam, Heather, and Pug have been sent to Discovery Unlimited. This is a program that is designed to teach teens through nature how to behave. Some of the people have been sent there by a court order and for this the camp soon becomes called “hoods in the woods” as a joke among the campers. The leader of this camp is Al who believes in wilderness reconstruction. They go mountain climbing where Jessie nearly falls off a mountain and this is supposed to teach them a lesson some how but the teens don’t understand. Later they go white water rafting which they all fall in love with and they want to do more of. Instead they are told they will be spending the rest of the time on what they consider a boring slow river instead of the glorious white water rapids of the Grand Canyon. While they are stopped at a gas station Troy realizes that their counselor has left the keys in the car and while he is outside talking on his phone; Troy convinces the others to leave Al and steal the van and all the gear in it so they can raft the Grand Canyon. They are hesitant and scared at first but they all want to do it and think the adventure will out way the risks and the consequences that they will have to face. So Troy drives the van off and they all ride into the night to the Grand Canyon. Jessie is so nervous but she finds Troy cute and she begins to put her trust in him and go along with it.
They all then ride all sorts of rapids in the Grand Canyon. Throughout their journey they will learn many lessons as well as bond and someone will betray their trust. They have so much fun riding the rapids and the thrills they get from surviving them and the only thing they have to worry about first is the cold. Then after Star is thrown off the raft and because of one of the rapids and things safety wise pretty much go down hill from there. They never stop having fun though as a group and their bonds continue to grow stronger but they now fear for each others lives more than ever. After they find Star and take care of her she quickly becomes not the only one to receive an injury. Next Rita gets hit in the head with a rock when they leisurely climb and the gash in her head requires stitches. Troy can’t stand blood and all Jessie can think to do is clot the blood but then Freddy comes to the rescue and stitches up Rita’s head. Later they are surprise when they see a hiker coming towards them and when he gets closer they find out it’s their camp counselor Al. Who they are shocked to see he has caught up with them. Al stays the night with them and then they continue down the rapids together. They later stop and find out that Al has tricked them and the police are at the edge of the canyon waiting from them. Then before they can even think the group of teens jump back in the boat and continue down the river. Troy becomes snappier towards them all and even to Jessie. Now another element is added to their adventure; the authorities are after them and they are being followed by helicopters. To brighten up the mood Adam dresses up in his ninja outfit and makes them all laugh doing karate moves but then he lands on something sharp cutting his foot pretty bad. He pretends to be ok and they continue down the river.
The group then comes up to a much bigger rapid then they have been to before. Everyone is scared and they don’t think they can make it. Even Freddy says it would be better to walk by it and get back into the river after the rapid is over. The rest agree with him and Troy does not like this because he sees he is loosing control of the group. He then says they can walk if they want but he is taking his raft down the rapid and Troy then convinces Adam to ride down the rapid with him. Soon the rapid proves Freddy right for right when the rest of the group begins walking to meet Troy and Adam past the rapid the raft that Troy and Adam are in flips. They all run in the river after Troy and Adam and they find Troy first. Then they find Adam clinging for dear life onto a rock with a dislocated shoulder and a broken arm.
They decided that they better camp there for the night with what they had been through that day and so that Adam could rest. Troy doesn’t seem apologetic about what has happened though and just seems mad at the group. Freddy wants to camp further down the river though because he fears the spot they are at may flood but, Troy wants to stay where they have already set up camp so the group remains there. That night Freddy pops Adam’s shoulder back in so that it will be less painful even though they can do nothing about his broken arm. The camp then floods that night as Freddy predicted and they are forced to move farther down river. Troy seems to be getting more upset that he is loosing control of the group. Then the next night at camp when they have almost successfully completed the journey down the river Troy asks the group where they want to go next. Troy tells them of his plans to go to Mexico where they will “be as rich as kings” because of the exchange rate. This shocks Jessie because she now realizes that Troy does not plan to turn himself in at the end of the trip but instead continue running from the police. Later on that night Freddy and Troy get into an argument and Pug defends Troy. Then in the middle of the night Jessie hears Freddy outside her tent gasping for air. She looks and hears Freddy say that he has been bitten two times by a scorpion that was in his sleeping bag. They find out he has been bitten by the only deadly scorpion that is found in the Grand Canyon. It is at this point that Jessie realizes that she was blinded by Troy’s beauty and that they are in danger being with him because he is becoming a ticking bomb about to explode. They soon wake up Adam and Rita and they all get into the rafts quietly leaving behind Pug and Troy. Freddy they fear will not make it and it seems that Adams cut on his leg may turn gain green. Jessie though continues to paddle and they soon see the law enforcement in the morning and Al waiting for them by the banks of the river. Jessie turns them all in so that Adam and Freddy can be rushed to a hospital.
At the end of the story everyone turns out to be ok and no one gets into too much trouble with the police. Star moves in with Jessie and the others seem to be having fun in their new lives that have developed after experiencing the Grand Canyon. They realize they will always all share that bond with each other and have learned so much from the experience. Well at least everyone but Troy because at the end of the novel you learn the police captured Pug but Troy escaped them yet again. Later the police catch Troy in L.A. but the group has yet to hear from him or even want to after they believed he almost killed Freddy with the scorpion.

Strengths (including reviews and awards):
- Winner if the California Young Reader Medal
- An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- An ALA YALSA Best Books for Young Adults
- An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists

Drawbacks or other Cautions:
Not really any

Teaching Ideas:
- Read in class and at home.
- Give each student a map of the Grand Canyon
- Have students color code every different area of where the teens go on the map
- Must list and color on map:
o Chapter they are at each rapid or area mentioned.
- Must list on separate sheet of paper that correlates with the map:
o Something about the characters overall mood at this spot
o Who is in charge of the group at the spot
o Are there any injuries here?

[Marc T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down River by Will Hobbs is about a group of teens who get sent to a wilderness therapy program called Discovery Unlimited. They have been sent to this program in the wilderness for reasons varying from homelessnes to murder. Jessie is angry about having to come to Discovery Unlimited and makes it very obvious she doesn't want to be there through her sarcasm. Troy is the most mature of the group and has a lot of money. He also could be considered the leader of the group because everybody likes him. Adam is a fun-loving jokester who is friends with everyone and loves joking around. Star was homeless on the streets. She's very meek and believes in fortune-telling cards and what they say. Freddy is the most experienced about the outdoors and always knows what to do. He doesn't really talk to anybody and usually is off exploring on his own. Pug stabbed his father and loves food. He always agrees with Troy. Rita was from New york with not much background story, but is very blunt, even though she gets along well with everyone. Al, the person running the program with a background in the marines, loves the outdoors. Everyone in the group hates him because he makes them do activities that can be considered dangerous. To explain, he makes them all do sketchy things like climb mountains with little supplies and no help from him. Because of the activities that happen there and the variety of kids that attend, Discovery Unlimited has earned the nickname “Hoods in the Woods” from the teens that go there.

I enjoyed Down River even though it was not what I expected. What I expected was a lot of teens would have to survive after a rafting accident. Instead a lot of teens “permanently borrowed” Al’s boats, supplies, and van . They drove up to the Grand Canyon with no river map and not enough food and decided to raft down the Colorado River by themselves. Unfortunately, they didn't make it and had to turn themselves in. Yet, they didn't get in that much trouble. Other than that, looking at it through the eyes of someone who really cared about the storyline, I found that it was lacking some suspense and excitement. Still, for me it was good enough that I could enjoy reading it. The choices they made weren’t dumb unlike some other survival books, which made it a lot better. Based on the topics in the story, I would consider looking into other books by the author, Will Hobbs.

[THEBACONBANDIT1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for school (hence the excruciatingly long amount of time I read it over) which already says something about the book. It was not good. No part of it was. Even in the books I hate most (*cough* Treasure Island) I can find something good. I understand that this book was supposed to be about oooh character development and Troy being a loser (which was inherently obvious from the beginning and was a prediction I made not even 15 pages into the book), but you can’t develop something that doesn’t exist! There was nothing to develop because the characters had no basis and were left open! There was no character development, just a bunch of incompetent teens doing imbecilic things with no consequences! It is a frivolous journey and the characters are incredibly inexperienced and immature for their age. I would mark the book as fantasy because the remnants of characters are so unrealistic! Jessie is supposed to resolve her issues (that were overstated in her flashbacks and underrepresented severely in the story), but she is still a pretty awful person who can’t make decisions for herself and can’t see the clear consequences of her actions. If there was ever a sequel about her in the real world then it would be only a chapter or two long. She would be dead or incarcerated by then. And no she isn’t going to magically escape from prison and get let off the hook because her ex-boyfriend hit her friend with a oar. The best thing that the author could have done was scrap everything except the basic plot. River rafting and canyon running. Next he should have walked outside or called up family to find someone (competent) who is around the age of the characters. Study them for a day and then go to a county penitentiary. Study a inmate. Find the middle between the two sides then make it more realistic. The result should be plausible but not insanely plentiful, the result should lean towards low average and recognize basic common sense as a key part of life. That was a terrible example and yet it still would have created better characters. Instead of doing anything reminiscent of that, the author apparently watched like 12 seasons of the bachelor and then made the characters younger and threw in a malnourished physic and her mentally impaired sister. To sum this all up I will say that I agree with another review I read (which I sadly can’t find) that said that if you like whitewater rafting and nothing else this is the book for you.

[MacKenzie Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Downriver by Will Hobbs is a classic action packed adventure. The main character Jessie is sent by her dad on a discovery camp with juvenile delinquents as her companions and campmates. During their trip, the group rock climbs, whitewater rafts, and most importantly, learns things about themselves. Through his stylistic and to the non superfluous writing, Hobbs leads the way to self discovery not only in his characters, but in the readers themselves.
Throughout Jessie’s trip, she becomes close to another member of the group, Star. Star is very mystical and has a dreamer mentality. She uses Tarot cards to “see” the future, and believes in the spirit of the world. Although extremely different from Jessie, the girls become best friends and consider themselves sisters. After the trip, Star, who is homeless, is adopted by Jessie’s dad and stepmom, and truly becomes an integral part of her life. The reader is shown that even the people who seem the least like you can be some the most important and influential in your life. Not judging by outside appearances can work wonders, and lead you to see the world differently.
Another character, Troy, seems nice at first, but proves to be fatal to the group. After the group decides to ditch Al, Troy becomes the new leader. Throughout the journey, Troy becomes more of a control freak with each passing day. However, he is not a skilled whitewater rafter, and puts the entire group in danger. When another member of the group stands up to him, he retaliates by putting a deadly scorpion into his sleeping bag, putting the member in shock and leaving him wounded until the group is picked up. Troy’s obvious control issues and inability to think unselfishly endangers the group, and ultimately leaves him one of the only members of the group that gets into serious trouble. Through Troy’s character, Hobbs also teaches readers that recognizing your own weaknesses not only helps better yourself, but also benefits other people around you.
Through the adventure of the Grand Canyon and strong bond between the group, Hobbs teaches the reader some valuable lessons. Although his style of writing and diction is simple to understand, Hobbs manages to unconsciously influence readers.

[Andrew B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downriver
Adventure
Will Hobbs
204 Pages
Downriver is an adventure book by Will Hobbs. The main character of the story is Jessie. Jessie’s dad sent her off to an outdoor wilderness camp for juvenile delinquents in the Southwestern United States. Jessie and the seven other teenagers at the camp decided they had enough of listening to their camp counselor. They stole the van they were traveling in and ventured to the Colorado River to go whitewater river rafting through some of the toughest rapids in North America. I did not like the book for many reasons. I felt the characters were flat and failed to bring life into the story. Only three of the eight characters had any development during the time of the story. The book was also very repetitive and did not contain much action. The theme of the story was to have hope in times of despair. The author taught that hope can always help you get through a tough time by using a character named Star to express the theme by using her actions as a model.
My favorite character in the book was Adam. He was laid back and poised in times of pressure. He joked around when the rest of the group was nervous and afraid. His ninja costume gave the whole group confidence when they were fearful. I related most to Adam. He was poised and funny. I thrive to be someone like him who is calm and ready. My least favorite part of the book was the repetition throughout the river run. Once the group was on the river the story repeated itself with only slight variation over the course of sixty pages. If I could change anything in the story I would add another character like Rita. She added spice to the story with her attitude. In conclusion I did not enjoy Downriver by Will Hobbs.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 2 out of 5]

cover art Robert McGinnis

Bantam Doubleday Dell 91/March 96
204 pages
What is probably meant to be an exciting outdoor camp/river rafting adventure is marred in a major way. Although the characters are marginally interesting, if you like mouthy, disrespectful juvenile deliquents, and there are interesting detailed descriptions of Grand Canyon scenery, You might want to give this book a pass. Jessie’s widowed dad remarries and she’s very angry, gets in with the wrong crowd, etc, so her dad and counselor recommend rugged outdoor experiences to help her ‘mature’. She and the other kids in the outdoor school steal their guide’s van along with the food and rafts and make an (illegal) trip through the rapids of the Grand Canyon. Sure enough the book ends ‘happily’ – the criminal activity has somehow matured Jessie and she is reconnected to her estranged dad and now bonds with her stepmom. Some parents might want to steer clear of this so-called award winning book as it might NOT be the best reading material for impressionable youngsters!

[Say-Say · Rating 2 out of 5]

Themes: self-discovery, courage, trust, friendship, adventure, and survival

For the life of me I was unable to find this books for many years and used chat gpt and boom I found it. Currently listening to the audiobook by using the Libby app. I'm just at the point where I last left off those many years ago. This book target audience is probably for 8th graders.
About 81% of the way through a lot of the problems seem to just fix themselves I felt like the writer could've really amped up the drama or horror aspects of falling off a ledge, drowning, or injuries. Barely any immersion that pulls me into the story or want to care about the characters. Most of the characters did not have a lot of substance or seem well rounded. I feel like I'm being told not shown throughout the book which is suppose to focus on survival, nature, and etc. Maybe it's because it is only written through Jessie's perspective so I'm getting impatient with the story. I usually prefer books written with multiple point of views.

[Rachel Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read the companion to Downriver, in which Jessie continues her rafting adventures on the Grand Canyon, I knew I needed to go back eventually and read the context and background for the relationships developed in River Thunder, the continuation of the adventures. I enjoyed Will Hobbs' writing in the latter book, and I was eager to read more of his work. Downriver was an equally fun read based on the story and language alone, but Hobbs also threw so many twists and turns at me as I read that I scarcely had an idea for what might be coming next. I enjoyed the constant suspense that Hobbs built up, even if it seemed fantastical at some points. The relationships between the characters were well-developed enough to still find their interactions and dramatic moments believable, and I certainly found myself rooting for some characters and hating others. I've found Hobbs' writing very entertaining and engaging.