It's a Jungle Out There

The Rani Adventures #1

by Ron Snell

I wouldn't trade my childhood for any other. Conceived in the Amazon rainforest, I learned to walk and talk among the Machiguenga Indians who, to this day, I call Rani.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Christian, School, Memoir, Adventure, Childrens

269 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1995

Reviews

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Where do I start? Ron Snell has a way with words, and that's an understatement! This was hilarious, even when the subject matter certainly wasn't, which helped to keep dark or disturbing subjects light. I chuckled out loud quite a few times while reading this! Amazing stories written in a witty, and inspiring way, this is a must read!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, this book brought home a few points to me.

1) many little boys are monsters who carelessly hurt/kill animals because bored. In the first chapter the MC and his older brother attempted to swat a butterfly with a canoe paddle, tossed rocks at kingfishers and poked stingrays with sticks. Because bored.

2) yeah, I'm NEVER going to the jungle. Parasites, amoebas, mosquitos and other biting insects, animals trying to kill and eat you on land and in water and in trees, the oppressive heat, humidity and rain, the mud, dust and lack of clean water, running water or electricity, never mind NO WIFI, just shoot me now. To a growing child, joy. To this old-fart, just NO.

3) their dad was sweet, but unable to understand reality. He never gave up though. Seemed like a nice guy. God bless that wife/mom. She was a SAINT.

4) natives are an interesting combo of innocence and less than stellar qualities. I'm sorry, enjoying plucking a bird before you kill and eat it is CRUEL.

Not a bad book, but his memories, while a happiness for him made me give the book a "what in the world is good about that?!?" look. Different strokes and all that. I'm glad I was able to read about his experiences and equally glad they weren't mine!

3 solid and interesting if not appealing to me stars. My thanks to my friend who let me borrow this book. :)

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a loooooooong time, but I remember L O V I N G this book and reading it 3 times. :)

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while lounging in a hammock in a Caquinte village downriver from Camisea. Several Machiguengas had married into the village and I reveled in Rani's accounts of their customs and beliefs, which are quite similar to those of the Caquinte. Having ridden in a pequi-pequi for hours on end, avoided isula, played with Machiguenga children, and wandered through the wonders of the jungle, I find Rani's stories entrancing.

This first book of three recounts his early years as a missionary child in the jungles of Peru. While his parents work to translate the Bible into Machiguenga, he and his brother play with their large Machiguenga "family," leave home to go to a boarding school, and experience the unique joys and sorrows of remote jungle life. Definitely a family read-aloud!

[Rachel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snell shares funny stories of his childhood growing up as a missionary kid in a remote Peruvian jungle. He has a wry sense of humor that I loved, and I think this would make a good read-aloud for kids, with just a couple caveats. (Parents will want to read ahead a bit and possibly edit parts as they go.)

There are a couple mentions of conception and sex that could have easily been omitted. There are also brief descriptions of death, and murder - including the murder of a baby.

But overall, it was a really interesting look at a different culture.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A read a loud for homeschool! A phenomenal book about a missionary family in Peru raising their kids- we are excited it's series- fyi it was as slow start!

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This glimpse of a childhood in the jungles of Peru is related by the young boy and is very light hearted. It was surely not an easy life for his family, especially his parents, but the emphasis was not on the difficulties but on the adventuresome life of a young boy. It's an easy read and an enjoyable book, and I look forward to reading the other two books in this series.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised in the rain forests of Peru by missionary parents, Ron Snell has put together in this book different experiences his family members had during his childhood. One of three books. A cute read.

[Mary Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these stories written by the son of a Wycliffe missionary in Peru. I got this book from the library, but I'm going to purchase this book and the other two in the Rani Adventures series.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a quirky little novel. Ron was a child of missionary parents who served as Bible translators for tribes in the Amazon jungle. This is a collection of stories from his childhood there. I can’t believe all the dangerous situations they were in. His mom is a saint.

[eloise (2026 winter volleyball version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and wholesome! I enjoyed the whole ride! And throughout the whole ride they leaned on the Lord! Perfect for all ages because there is no inappropriate content!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY humorous look at the first ten years of a boy's life growing up in the Peruvian jungle. Delightfully "boy" (but not a "boys' book), honest, and adventurous. Definitely recommended. Would make a hilarious read-aloud or I expect an enticing book for reluctant readers.

[Amy Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I've never read a book so humorously written about such serious topics. His mother was a HERO! His dad comes across as not really caring if they survive. Seriously? The dad let them hunt herds of wild pigs in the night, chase after hardened criminals and take trips down river for hours without adults! My husband and I would have had "discussions" over that. I don't know how that mom survived the stress of raising a family in the settings described! I decided not to hand this book over to read for South America for our geography studies this year, much as it would be an awesome fit for our studies, because of a few things: one, he mentions s*xual intercourse once, twice about being conceived in the jungle, and a story about a woman whose romance story was the greatest they'd ever known then goes on to describe how she accidentally poisoned herself in an attempt to abort the baby of another man, not the man she'd romantically just married. Which brings me to my next objection, which is that the tone of this book is so light and hilarious in describing its rollicking, rip-roaring river rides, that his flippant tone doesn't fit when dark matters of the paganism of the tribe are recounted. Also their faith doesn't seem vital to the whole enterprise; it's more in the background. But I bet that if the parents had written the book, it would have been much different, like I imagine if you read the Little House books from the parents' view. I understand that these are kids books. So I'm a little confused about how to think about portraying serious matters of life to kids... these kids actually knew Cameron Townsend, by the way!!! So I'm going to read aloud certain chapters to them, but not hand it over until they're older.

2025: This book—have I ever related so hard to a book? I love this so much. He writes in such a humorous style that makes all the difficulties of their missionary life endurable. I highly recommend this to anyone doing My Father’s World Exploring Countries and Cultures, as a read-aloud, so you can skip the few lines I critiqued above. Otherwise this is such a great read-aloud, so perfectly illustrative of primitive missions to the Amazon jungle and yet with so much exaggerated humor that it makes a delightful storybook.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this memoir -- the first of three -- Ron Snell tells about growing up as a missionary kid in the Amazonian rainforest in the 1950s and '60s along with his older brother and younger sisters. Their parents, who served with the Summer Institute of Linguistics, a branch of Wycliffe Bible Translators, were assigned to the gentle Machiguenga people, whose domain was largely in Peru.
Snell and his siblings grew up under attack from tropical diseases, sustaining nighttime bites from rats and other critters, taking death-defying trips down the river on homemade canoes, taking refuge in thorn trees to avoid stampeding pigs, surviving a long and harrowing mountain journey in a Chevy carryall.
They had a terrific time.
The only thing they didn't seem to like was furloughs in the United States -- a strange and foreign place to them. (They did develop an appreciation for "Gilligan's Island" and "Hogan's Heroes.")
The writing isn't much more than adequate, but the stories make "It's a Jungle Out There" an enjoyable and enlightening read.

[The other John · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you were a kid, did you ever daydream about growing up someplace exotic? The rough and tumble wild west? The mysterious orient? The jungles of Africa? Well, Ron Snell did grow up in a jungle. (In Peru, not Africa, but hey, a jungle's a jungle.) He was a missionary kid in the 1950s and in this book--the first volume of The Rani Adventures--he tells tales of his childhood. Unlike most (all?) missionary biographies I've read, there's a lot more humor than religion in the story. Actually, that may not be accurate. The faith of "Rani", his family, friends and neighbors is woven throughout the stories in the book. It just serves more as the foundation of his life rather than the ornamentation. Anyway, the book's a fun read and I'll have to steal this book from my kids once they're done with it.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true story about a boy that grew up in the Amazon Rain Forest. His parents were Bible translators for the Machiguenga Indians. There are three books starting when he was born to when he left to go to college. Some of the things that happened to him were really funny and we loved reading the books together as a family. :D

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown up in Latin America, myself, I really loved this set of stories about an American kid in Peru. (I also have a friend who grew up with him, whose dad is mentioned in one of the books, which made it doubly fun! :) ) Anyone who has spent time in a foreign country will appreciate these, I think, but the humor is good for others, as well.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother read this book to my brother my sister and I when we were young as part of school (we were homeschooled). Over 12 years later I still remember this book (and the whole series) vividly. It made a lasting impression on my life and I thought about it when I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru in high school. Loved this book, and I don't have one bad thing to say about it.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical as missionary stories would go: adventure, danger, bravery, living off the land, etc. We did enjoy the stories as anyone from middle-class America would enjoy stories so foreign to our understanding.

[Amy Nielson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ron Snell is a master storyteller. My kids were in envy & pretty much want to be him. However, the book reads more like a lecture in printed form. I'm guessing the author is a better speaker than writer.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is insanely hilarious. I read it in junior high and I must have read it a hundred times since. Just PICK IT UP!!!!

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was fun

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good so far....=}

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and fun missionary family's story.

[Doug Magnuson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading this, which we read out loud as a family years ago in our home schooling program. Great story-telling. I love these books.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny writing style! Boys adventures.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting about the life of a missionary kid! He loved being in the jungle and had many funny and interesting adventures! Loved it!

[Dawn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irreverently funny anecdotes of a missionary kid who was raised in the rainforests of Peru. Some harrowing, some laugh-out-loud. The last two chapters are great to read on a car trip!

[Arlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and entertaining, Snell remembers growing up in Peru while his parents worked as translators for the Machiguenga people.

[Sam Allen]

This was an ok book at best. It was about a missionary and his family, but it was not interesting.