Zanna is a rebellious pre-teen city girl with a fondness for tattoos and bad boys. But after her last rebellion-a strawberry tattoo on her ankle-her mother leaves for France without her. Zanna is forc
Zanna is a rebellious pre-teen city girl with a fondness for tattoos and bad boys. But after her last rebellion-a strawberry tattoo on her ankle-her mother leaves for France without her. Zanna is forced to spend the summer with her twin brother, Martin, and their glaciologist father in the mountainous region of Last Chance Pass. There Zanna takes in an injured and abandoned puppy, which she and her brother rescue from underneath their new home. With only a few days in the Rockies, she realizes that no cell phone and a slow internet connection are the least of her problems. Tyler, the charming, blue-eyed park ranger, is convinced that her new dog, who she conveniently names Paris, is a wolf. But when her brother goes missing, what had begun as a boring and rustic inconvenience turns into a matter of life and death. With the help of Tyler and Paris, Zanna sets out to rescue her brother, and in the process, discovers what really matters the most.
Award-winning author Sylvia McNicoll uses her uncanny empathy for young teens to combine intense emotions and suspense with high action in Last Chance for Paris. Can Zanna resist the charm of the handsome park ranger? Will she be able to find the right place for Paris, who's already chosen her family as his own? Will they find Martin in time? Last Chance for Paris will have you gripping the pages until the very end.
"This story is easy to follow and touches on the multiple confusions of adolescence. It blends the excitement of an adventure story with the wry sense of humour of a 14-year-old stuck for a summer in the mountains."
Recommended --
CM Magazine "The story's sharp pacing and very human characters are engaging, and McNicoll deftly portrays the complexities of family and relationships. Readers will identify with the twins' evolving dramas."
-- School Library Journal
"Written with elements of wry humor and romance, this Canadian novel features a narrator whose disarmingly candid opinions make her an appealing guide for readers who usually veer away from backwoods adventures or survival stories."
-- Booklist
"McNicoll unfolds her story at breakneck pace."
-- Quill and Quire
"McNicoll puts a quirky spin on the traditional fare of teen summer romance and adventure in an exotic locale."
-- Kliatt
"Canadian McNicoll always serves up a solid tale and this is no exception, delivering a great, relatable narrative voice without trying too hard in the humour department."
-- The Calgary Herald
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Winner of the 1996 Silver Birch Children's Choice Award and the 1997 Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award for Bringing Up Beauty, Sylvia McNicoll has written over 20 books, including short stories, first chapter books, fiction for middle-grade and reluctant readers, and novels for young adults.
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