The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
This story of the world's longest train (miles long!) winding through the Canadian Rockies has history, action, suspense and folklore all rolled into one great kid's book. I honestly don't think I've come across another book that feature Sasquatches and avalanches! I was aware of Mr. Oppel's Airborn series, but I never felt quite ready to tackle them. This story however, seemed a bit more manageable and the beautiful cover design had me hooked. As I'm writing this, I can't stop thinking about what a great word "boundless" is, as in "boundless energy" or "knows no bounds". Both phrases are well suited to this story.
Will Everett is an artistic young man whose father is a railroad manager. On the inaugural trip of the Boundless, Will inadvertently becomes the possessor of the key to the railway owner's funeral car. That makes him a target for some evil villains who will stop at nothing to get that key.
Also on the train are the magnificent Maren, a beautiful tightrope walker; and Mr. Dorian, the ringmaster of the traveling Zircus Dante. Just to give you an idea of the size of this train, the circus has its own 80 cars including one elephant. Maren and Mr. Dorian help Will hide from the bad guys, but do they have their own secret agenda? Thrilling top-of-the-train chases and rescues are a big part of the traveling adventure. The action scenes make me think of the old silent movies where the heroine is tied to the train tracks and rescued just in time.
Kenneth Oppel makes the best use of social media. He has a blog that details The Boundless as well as the Zircus Dante. There are even photographs! On top of that, Will Everett has his own Pinterest page which offers an account of his travels.
High on my "want to read" list is Kenneth Oppel's latest book, The Nest. I've heard it's really creepy-scary good! Find out more about it on his blog.
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