Flight from Bear Canyon

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

In this sequel to Flight from Big Tangle (2002), Kaylee has been left to
stay with her mom’s friend Jack and his niece Jaz in a remote lodge in
the Northwest Territories while her mom goes to work fighting a forest
fire in Montana. Kaylee would rather have been left alone and is
resistant to Jaz’s attempts at companionship, but she comes to realize
that they have a great deal in common, including a love of adventure.
The girls soon find themselves experiencing a surprising amount of
excitement. There is a helicopter crash, several encounters with bears,
cave and wilderness navigation, the discovery of a previously unknown
hot springs, the solution to a 100-year-old mystery, and a daring
airplane flight and rescue.

This story is all about the action. Despite all the drama, however, the
airplane flight is so predictable that there is little suspense in its
outcome. Daher’s writing is best when the action is greatest, but on
the whole it lacks cohesion as it tries to incorporate too much plot for
the scope of the book. There is little room for character development,
and Kaylee’s whiny behaviour does not seem to jibe with her heroic
actions. The imagery in the opening paragraph is particularly awkward,
as the reader is given the image of holding onto the memories of a
mother’s farewell hug along with the repeating taste of an egg salad
sandwich. Flight from Bear Canyon can be enjoyed strictly for its
adventure. Recommended with reservations.