The Maze

Booktalk:

Picture yourself soaring high above the cliffs and plunging red rocks of Canyonlands. You're free as a bird and you have full control of the glider attached to your body. You could fly far, maybe even far enough to get away from your problems, but some things you just can't escape. Somethings you'll carry with you until you learn how to come to peace--not with the sky or the law or mother nature, but with yourself!

Rick Walker, the young hero of The Maze, is on the run . . . but he may have hit a dead end! He escaped from the Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center in Nevada and secretly hitched a ride in the back of a pick-up truck and winds up in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. But his adventure is only beginning. . . .

After an unsuccessful attempt to leave the canyon by stealing the truck, Rick manages to win the trust of the truck's owner, Lon Peregrino, who is a wildlife biologist working on a condor-reintroduction project in the park. Condors are Lon's passion, and nothing can get in his way to ensure the birds' release, not even a pair of nasty and combative men who claim the canyon as their own.

Although Lon realizes Rick is in some sort of trouble, he takes Rick under his wing and begins to teach him about the birds and his love for hang-gliding. Rick gains a new appreciation for wildlife conservation and even moreso for his newfound trust and companionship with Lon. Their bond proves vital to their survival when they face the wrath of the two "militia" men intent on eliminating Lon and Rick from the area.

Will Rick learn how to come to peace with his inner demons? Will Lon be able to help him face his past and his future with the nobility of one of his prized condors? Or will the militia men rule the day? Read this excellent adventure to find out!

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