Though similar in concept to Marion Dane Bauer's Face to Face (1991), this pulse-pounding adventure features characters who are considerably more likable. When his father, whom he usually only sees once a month, proposes a white-water rafting trip, Greg is not keen on the idea of danger as fun. After surviving an earthquake, a holdup, and a shooting, he has become understandably timid; Petersen (Liars, 1992, etc.) presents Greg's fears as warranted and sensible, as are his father's concerns that Greg is becoming too fearful. When his father is bitten by a rattlesnake during the trip, Greg hauls him and his half-brother, James, out of the wilderness--against overwhelming obstacles--in time to get him to a doctor. The character development is acute and believable: Greg learns to be less fearful, while his father finds that timidity does not imply a lack of courage. The book is a thrill ride--as the complications mount and a grittily determined Greg ingeniously responds to them, readers will come to admire him as much as James does. (Fiction. 8-12)
