Beast Rider

A Novel

By: Tony Johnston, María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

Write A Review

Hardcover | 19 March 2019

At a Glance

Hardcover
192 Pages

Age
12+

Grade
7+

Dimensions(cm)
21.0 x 14.0 x 1.91

Hardcover

$39.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $9.94 with

or

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

Twelve-year-old Manuel leaves his small town in Mexico to join his older brother in Los Angeles. To cross the US border, he must become a “beast rider”—someone who hops on a train. The first time he tries, he is stopped by the Mexican police, who arrest and beat him. When he tries again, he is attacked by a Mexican gang and left for dead.

Just when Manuel is ready to turn back, he finds new hope. Villagers clothe and feed him, help him find work, and eventually boost him back onto the train. When he finally arrives in LA and is reunited with his brother, he is elated. But the longer he’s there, the more he realizes that something isn’t right.

Thrilling and heartfelt, Beast Rider is a coming-of-age story that reveals how a place and its people help to define you.

About the Authors

Tony Johnston is the award-winning author of more than 100 children’s books. She lives with her family in San Marino, California. Maria Elena Fontanot de Rhoads is a Mexican psychotherapist who specializes in childhood trauma. She lives in Mérida, Mexico.

Industry Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Johnston (Bone by Bone by Bone) and de Rhoads (a psychotherapist and debut author) offer a sympathetic, illuminating portrait of the challenges faced by one undocumented immigrant."--Publishers Weekly
"Beast Rider, like the best in literature, begs to be read again and again."--Lisa Krieger, retired head of Children's Services, San Luis Obispo County Library
**STARRED REVIEW**
"Like the chugging of The Beast, Johnston's poetic prose permeates Manuel's journey and gives a steady rhythm to the story even as Oaxaca-based psychotherapist and translator Fontanot de Rhoads provides details to ground it . . . A beautiful, visceral plunge into the perils that the train-jumping migrant brotherhood experiences."--Kirkus Reviews

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.