City of the Beasts

City of Beasts is Isabel Allende's first novel for young readers. It is the story of Alexander Cold. Alex's mother is sick and the three kids are sent to their grandmothers' houses. His two sisters to his mom's mom, and him to his dad's mom, Kate.

Kate is a writer. She travels the world writing stories for International Geographic. She and Alex will be going into the Amazon with a team of journalist and anthropologists to investigate the rumors of "the beast" - a yeti-like creature said to inhabit the upper reaches of the Amazon known at the Eye of the World.

Kate is not the typical grandmother. One year for Alex's birthday she sent him chocolates - after she had replaced the filling with Tabasco sauce. She has a wicked sense of humor and tries not to show affection. But Alex knows that she really loves him. Every once in a while she will forget herself and hug him.

Alex's journey into the jungle will be the adventure of a lifetime, if he lives through it.

Allende, Isabel. & Pender, M. S (Translator). (2002). City of the Beasts. New York: HarperCollins.