Young Adult Fiction — Review

Chocolate River Rescue

by Jennifer McGrath Kent
Nimbus Publishing, 2007
ISBN 1-55109-600-5
$8.95, 112 pp, ages 7 – 10
www.nimbus.ns.ca

In this fast paced adventure story set in New Brunswick, three boys become stranded on a small ice floe on the Petitcodiac River—called the Chocolate River locally because of the colour of its fast moving water. In danger of being swept out to sea as darkness falls, they are assisted by twelve-year-old Petra, who takes over the rescue attempt when her uncle is injured. Petra manages to get the boys into her boat before the ice floe disintegrates, but engine trouble and the loss of an oar means they must wait for rescue. The four use their heads to solve problems of hypothermia, being seen by rescuers in the darkness, and the real possibility of being swamped by the incoming tidal bore that surges up into the Bay of Fundy. All ends well in what could have been a tragic incident, and the subsequent celebration features chocolate treats of all sorts. This is the first novel by Jennifer McGrath Kent, who, inspired by a true event, has delivered a realistic and suspenseful story which will keep readers turning the pages right to the happy ending.

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