Jack Osborne and his family are on the run again. After Jack’s dad, Neil, got involved with a dangerous drug lord by the name of Alonzo Aznar, the family agreed to enter into the Witness Security Program in exchange for Neil’s testimony.
The Witness Security Program placed them in Elko, Nevada, where they lived as the Granger family in Smith’s first book, Zach’s Lie. After their identities were compromised in Nevada, however, they were given new identies as the Greene Family and reassigned to a new location,Manteo, North Carolina, in the sequel, Jack’s Run.
As they attempt to get settled in Manteo, Jack's parents announce that while they attend Alonzo's trial, Jack will have to stay with his sister Christine, who is attending college in Los Angeles and pursing her dream of becoming a singer and actress.
Alonzo, now behind bars and awaiting his trial, is not a typical prisoner in the maximum security prison. He has privileges and contacts on the inside and access to his men on the outside, including his dangerous and impulsive brother, Raphael. Alonzo has given Raphael strict instructions on how to handle the upcoming annual cartel meeting at his vineyard in South America, as well as urgent orders to once again locate the Osborne family. Not only will Neil's testimony damage Alonzo's case, but Neil's hidden journal detailing Alonzo's secrets of the drug cartel will seal his fate unless Alonzo and his men find it first.
Christine's new fame on a television singing competition makes it easy for Raphael to find and capture the Osborne children. Sam Sebesta, a school custodian who helped save the Osborne family in Elko, Nevada in Zach's Lie, reappears in the sequel and uses his contacts as a former Russian spy in hopes of helping Jack's parents find their children.
Fast - paced Jack's Run is a Stand Alone Sequel
Much like the previous book, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run offers its readers a fast and suspenseful plot, following a family the readers have already grown to love and care about. Written for young adults, the book provides a sense of closure for the readers of the preceding book, yet leaves it open for a subsequent novel if the author so chooses.
Even if the reader has not read the first book, it is easy to get caught up. Roland Smith does a good job of keeping the names straight, as the family of four has now changed their name twice from their original name, resulting in 12 names for the young reader to keep track of. While he refers to Jack as Mack in the beginning of the book, he defers back to their original names after the capture, and does it in such a way that the reader follows without even noticing.
Jack's Run is a classic example of a young vs. old, good vs. evil, and guilty vs. innocent story where the reader gets hooked early on in hopes that the good guys win in the end.
Roland Smith - Author of Jack’s Run
Jack’s Run, published in 2005 by Hyperion Books for Children, is Smith's second book in a series about Jack Osborne and his family.
Smith has written over 30 fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults. Many of these books are about or include animals, as he draws on his 20 years of experience as a zookeeper for a children's zoo in Portland. Working with animals took him all over the world, but he eventually left the profession to pursue his love for writing.
Smith lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Marie.
Sources
Smith, Roland. Jack’s Run. Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.
Laurie Zinn - Laurie Zinn is a freelance writer and Topic Editor for the seniors/grandparents section at Suite 101. After earning her ...
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