Jack Brown and the Trail of the Python by Greg Pyers
I have seen a lot of Greg Pyers books over the years. Mostly they are information books nicely written to give good reliable information to 8-12 year olds. Personally, I think Pyers should have stayed with that format and not tried to make a go of it writing fiction.
This book is very clearly number 2 in the Jack Brown series, and clearly there are, or were, plans for many more. Jack is a young man passionate about animals. Not at all surprising since he can speak to any animal telepathically. Naturally the bad guys are out to destroy rare animals, rob a zoo, or otherwise upset the beasts. Conveniently Jack’s cousin Molly lives near the City Zoo, so his R&R after his first big adventure is interrupted again.
Yes this book, and the series has it’s place. It is very difficult to find something not too long, and not too complex for 12 year old boys who have decided that they cannot read, or will not read. They need something that is short so it is not scary, and gets straight into the action without wasting time developing characters. This book fits the bill. At 150 pages long, most boys will at least give it a go.
But I believe the plot is too predictable, even too childish to stand up to a long series. Since I can’t find any more in the series after book 2, it looks like the publishers agreed with me.
