The Last Lobo

Jacob Lansa #3

by Roland Smith

When Jake, a teenager, takes his grandfather on a visit to their Hopi tribal homeland in Arizona, he finds himself fighting to save an endangered Mexican wolf.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.

Reviews

[Clint]

Jacob has spent more time than most in the wild working with wild animals. Having a father who is a field biologist has taken Jacob on adventures to Africa and Brazil. When Jacob returns from Brazil he finds that his father has voluntarily left his rest home and gone home to the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona. Jacob takes off to find his grandfather which leads him to another adventure in the wild. When Jacob gets to the reservation he finds there is a lobo on the loose and joins with an older Hopi Indian in an attempt to trap the lobo and save it.
This is the third novel in a series that follows the adventures of Jacob to Africa and Brazil. This I don't think is as exciting as Thunder Cave and Jaguar as I currently remember it but it is still a good read. It has action and deals with nature making it a nice appeal to a young male. As with most of Roland Smith's books this would be a good read for a reluctant reader.

[Daniel]

The Last Lobo is a great book. I think anyone who likes animals and adventure will like it. It is about a kid named Jake. Jake's grandpa Taw goes down to New Mexico to see his friend named John. Jake follows him as suprise. When he gets down there, he meets a guy named Buckley who drives him to the Hopi Indian Reservation. When he got there, he meets Marie, John's wife. Then he mets Earl, a big buff guy who is Marie's ex-husband. Jake hears a rumor that lobos are killing farms animals. The Hopi chiefs have a meeting about it. Earl says that he will kill the lobo. Taw, John and Jake are trying to capture the lobo to let it free. John and Jake set traps so they could capture the lobo and let it go in Mexico. If I tell amy more, it will spoil the ending You will have to read it to find out.

[Tracy Mallett]

Written for juveniles but our library sponsored Roland Smith to come to the local school and talk to kids. So, I read some of his books and I'm hooked! Great adventure stories involving animals!

[Svetti]

It’s ok I forgot what it was about cause I read it years ago for school but it’s ok.

[Carole]

This is the third Jacob Lansa book. In this one, Jacob has traveled to Arizona to check on his grandfather and ends up involved in an attempt to rescue a wolf. Like the other books, this one has conservation themes and a pleasant family dynamic. It also has domestic violence and dangerous people. It was interesting to see the various ways people react to the wolf and some of the ways a wolf can be tracked and captured. My only complaint is that there aren’t more Jacob Lansa books.

[Owen]

I read this book because it was by an author that I liked. I read it thinking maybe it will be good. It was fantastic, I really liked the topic I thought it was interesting and creative. The characters all had unique traits and were all well described and had good personalities. This is probably one of my fvorite books.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books]

This is a great book from one of my favorite authors. I love that it teaches a little bit about the Native American cultures in that area (New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, etc.). I like Buckley a lot. He's cool. I like how the main character, Jake, and his grandfather's friend search for the lobo together and how they bond. I also like how they don't plan to kill the lobo.

[Cathy]

B; A Nice short read while I was at work. From the Jr Fiction section about a 15 year old boy who helps his grandfather and the Hopi tribe catch a lobo (wolf). I think I picked this up because Lobo is the name of one of our fur herd.

[blanca]

i only read a little bit but i really dont remember what it was about

[John]

Part 3 after Thunder Cave and Jaguar. Great boys adventure. Middle school age.

[Calli]

I hadn't realized that this was a sequel, of sorts, to Thunder Cave. And it's actually the third book, with Jaguar in between.

Enjoyed this -- now back to Jaguar.

[Steve Mickelson]

Not as good as the first two books, but still a good adventure!

[Dedrick Stewart]

I found this book very interesting. i am not much of a reader but i found patience with this book.

[Catherine]

One thing I enjoy about Smith's writing is that every book is different from the others. He covers a vast array of topics. I enjoyed learning about lobos (wolves) in this this story.

[Rebecca]

Savannah & I really enjoy this Oregon-homed author's books even though they're written for younger peeps. ;)

[Tina]

it really showed the native american culture!

[Kenna]

I just love Roland Smith's books and how they're full of humor and adventure.