We met at Cafe Rio on December 15 to discuss Downriver by Will Hobbs. The majority of us felt that it was not as strong as Crossing the Wire. The book is very "young adult," with two-dimensional characters and more excitement than substance.
We liked the group dynamic and wondered at the way this tended to be ignored by reviewers. This group did something stupid and dangerous because of peer pressure. They chose to follow a leader based on good looks and popularity rather than knowledge and skill.
Troy sparked a tangent about how popular kids tend to "rule" in the high school environment, and many students don't see through them. These popular students then have the ability to manipulate those around them who are more than willing to follow along.
We were disappointed in the lack of consequences. The scorpion is played out as a lethal foe, yet when Freddy gets stung, he seems to have all the time in the world. None of the characters suffer any lasting consequences for their actions. Instead, they end up almost rewarded. It's a fairy-tale ending for most of them, and in the sequel, they're even invited on another excursion with the guy they stole all the equipment from in the first place! We felt that this was a detriment to the book. Young readers see these students breaking the law, taking life-threatening risks, and getting off with rewards. We felt that there should be more lasting consequences.
Overall, we felt this would be a good read for struggling and reluctant readers in high school and most 6-8 graders.
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