Alex’s mother has cancer, and he is sent off to his grandmother in New York while she undergoes chemotherapy. His grandmother makes little or no allowance for his youth, and thinks nothing of having him accompany her on a trip to the Amazon, in search of the legendary ‘Beast’. (I suppose I'm not the only one who thought 'Heart of Darkness' at this point, and it perhaps wasn't an entirely inappropriate comparison.)

I liked the way in which the book was grounded with such a realistic beginning, and I loved the enticing descriptions of the Amazon, its danger and its beauty. I enjoyed the coming of age elements of the story, where Alex and his friend Nadia both meet challenges, overcome their fears, and (of course!) learn things on their journey.

But the fantasy elements of the story didn't really appeal to me (and seemed a bit weak, in comparison to some of these other parts of the book), and I felt a little disappointed overall. ( )

Alex's mother is fighting cancer and when she must travel away with his father to receive treatment, he finds himself accompanying his grandmother, a journalist, on a trip to the Amazon to find a mysterious beast, akin to Bigfoot, sighted in the area. Along the way, he befriends Nadia, who was born and raised along the Amazon by her adventurer father. Together, they try to stay alive as their expedition is beset by wild animals, Indians, corrupt thieves and the mysterious beast.

While written for a young adult audience, this novel still reflects many of the qualities for which Allende's writing is known -- she doesn't shy away from focusing on the politics of the region and her magical signature is present throughout the book. I highly recommend this novel to adult and young adult readers alike. ( )

At first I was wary of this book, when I realized there would be odd non-human characters walking around in the amazon - I'm not a great fan of fantasy - but this turned out to be a great read. The characters - even the supernatural ones - were fun to read about, but I would limit the description of this book to just that: fun. Still definitely worth a read! ( )

A good solid read. ( )

Een 15-jarige jongen vergezelt zijn oma, een reisboekenschrijfster, op een bijzondere jungle-expeditie in het Amazonegebied ( )