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Title details for City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende - Available

City of the Beasts

#1 in series

by Isabel Allende
Blair Brown
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

A search for the Beast, a Yeti-like creature within the heart of the Amazon, becomes a quest for self-discovery in this young adult coming-of-age story filled with international adventure, rich mythology, and magical realism from globally celebrated novelist Isabel Allende.

Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold has the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. Parting from his family and ill mother, Alexander joins his fearless grandmother, a magazine reporter for International Geographic, on an expedition to the dangerous, remote world of the Amazon. Their mission, along with the others on their team—including a celebrated anthropologist, a local guide and his young daughter Nadia, and a doctor—is to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.

Under the dense canopy of the jungle, Alexander is amazed to discover much more than he could have imagined about the hidden worlds of the rain forest. Drawing on the strength of the jaguar, the totemic animal Alexander finds within himself, and the eagle, Nadia's spirit guide, both young people are led by the invisible People of the Mist on a thrilling and unforgettable journey to the ultimate discovery.

  • Creators

  • Series

    City of the Beasts

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 5, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780063000414
      • File size: 252209 KB
      • Duration: 08:45:26

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1030
    • Text Difficulty: 6-8

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In a style reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isabel Allende takes listeners to an Amazon jungle that might well have come from the pages of AMAZING STORIES. Fifteen-year-old Alexander is sent to stay with a less than pleasant grandmother. Grandma is about to go off with the International Geographic to track down the elusive yeti, and Alexander is obliged to go along to the rainforest whether he wants to or not. He befriends a local girl named Nadia and shortly thereafter is kidnapped by Indians. As the story rockets from one adventure to the next, Blair Brown delivers a superb narration. Without her even, gentle inflection, this might well go off the scale of believability; however, her mellifluous voice is a pleasure to listen to, and she has a skillful knack for creating memorable characters that helps create credibility. Brown adds just what this story needs. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 30, 2003
      PW
      called this story of a 15-year-old who is reluctant to accompany his grandmother on a writing assignment in South America "laced with surprises and ironic twists." Once their expedition in search of a legendary nine-foot-tall "Beast" begins, however, his doubts are pushed out of his mind by more immediate concerns. All ages.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 24, 2004
      A 15-year-old accompanies his eccentric grandmother on a writing assignment in South America to search for a legendary nine-foot-tall "Beast." PW
      said the "action and outcome seem cleverly crafted to deliver the moral, but many readers will find the author's formula successful with its environmentalist theme, a pinch of the grotesque and a larger dose of magic." Ages 10-up.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 24, 2002
      Adventure seekers will find plenty of thrills in Allende's first novel for young readers. When 15-year-old Alexander Cold is sent to stay with his eccentric, gruff grandmother, Kate, while his mother is being treated for cancer, he is more than a little reluctant to accompany Kate on a writing assignment in South America to search for a legendary nine-foot-tall "Beast." However, once the expedition down the Amazon begins, Alexander's doubts are pushed out of his mind by more immediate concerns, such as keeping an eye on two suspicious members of the party: a native named Karakawe and Mauro Carías, a wealthy entrepreneur. After Alexander's mysterious encounter with a caged jaguar, another teen, Nadia, explains its importance to him, and begins calling Alexander "Jaguar." This marks the beginning of their somewhat surreal journey: the two teens are kidnapped by the "People of the Mist," a tribe possessing the power of turning invisible, and enter a mountain to discover the mythical city of El Dorado and the enigmatic "Beasts." Reluctant readers may be intimidated by the thickness of this volume, but the plot moves at a rapid pace, laced with surprises and ironic twists. The action and outcome seem preordained, cleverly crafted to deliver the moral, but many readers will find the author's formula successful with its environmentalist theme, a pinch of the grotesque and a larger dose of magic. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)FYI:Also available in a Spanish-language edition (-051031-5), an audio version (-051076-5) and a Spanish audio version (-051077-3).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1030
  • Text Difficulty:6-8

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