Last Chance for Paris

May 1, 2008
Gr 6-9-Zanna, 14, thinks she should be strolling the boulevards of Paris, gallery hopping, and clothes shopping with her artist mother. Instead, she is sent to spend the summer with her glaciologist father and twin, Martin, whom she hasn't seen since their parents split up four years earlier. Last Chance Pass, Alberta, is home to wolves, bears, and the compelling beauty of the wilderness, but not much else. When Martin finds an injured puppy, Zanna reluctantly looks after him and names him Paris. Tyler, the 17-year-old park ranger, insists that the animal is a wolf cub whose only chance for survival is at a local wolf retreat. Zanna, a vegetarian, is horrified when Paris hunts baby rabbits, and she capitulates. Martin is the bright spot in Zanna's dismal summer, but then he goes missing during a storm. She enlists Tyler's help and rescues a mauled Paris from the retreat to search for him. Other rescue efforts have been hampered by darkness and rough weather, but Zanna is counting on her twin intuition, Paris, and Tyler's knowledge of the area. 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."Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2008
For the past four years, Zanna has lived with her mother and apart from her twin brother, Martin, and their father. When Mom travels to France, 14-year-old Zanna goes with Martin and their dad to the Alberta ice fields. Soon after they arrive, Martin rescues and takes in an injured puppy, which they name Paris.A handsome young park rangerconvinces Zanna that Paris is actually a wolf and she agrees to leave him at the local wolf haven. When Martin is lost, though, they send Paris out to search for the boy who once saved him. This involving novel combines a family story highlighting the mysterious link between twins with a wilderness adventure told through the eyes of a likable city girl. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)