Wildes: The Amazon

Description: Ring and Asia Wilde's life is anything but ordinary. Some of their closest friends are endangered monkeys and rare birds. Instead of attending middle school, they accompany their parents (scientists who work to save endangered species) on adventures around the world. They spend more time climbing trees, tracking animal prints, and taking on three-hundred-pound anacondas than they do filling out worksheets. But a research trip to the Amazon rainforest turns into a dangerous mystery when their mother goes missing. Who kidnapped Dr. Jane Wilde, and why? Ring and Asia have the skills to survive the jungle--but do they have what it takes to rescue their mom?

Brief description: Roland Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty books for young people. Among his books are the I, Q series, Peak, Beneath, Above, Zach's Lie, the Cryptid Hunters series, Storm Runners, The Switch, and Elephant Run. Before becoming a full-time writer, he spent more than twenty years working with wildlife all over the world. He was a zookeeper, zoo curator, assistant zoo director, and research biologist. He was instrumental in reintroducing the red wolf back into the wild, and he was a consultant on the Yellowstone National Park gray wolf translocation. Roland and his wife, Marie, split their time between Bentonville, Arkansas, and their small farm near Portland, Oregon.