En la Ultima Frontera

YA-In this interesting novel, 15 adolescent boys from the Mexican state of Sinaloa have a grand adventure on a deserted island in the Pacific. Some of the boys come from middle-class families and are the well-educated sons of doctors, ranchers, and fishermen. Others, escapees from reform school, have less pristine credentials. A mysterious, abandoned fishing boat that appears in their port town brings them all together. After both groups sneak aboard the ghost ship one night the boat is whisked away by a fantastical storm and the boys find themselves on a deserted island. There, they test the limits of their survival skills, plumb the depths of their accumulated knowledge, and learn the value of trusting one another and working together. The author blends in a hefty amount of geography, ecology, astrology, biology, and other sciences. Toward the end, which comes in a jumble, the author throws in a few pirates, buried treasure, an erupting volcano, and finally, a fortuitous rescue. Although the sometimes-difficult vocabulary takes some persistence, the story is well worth the trouble. Recommended for collections serving advanced readers. MOB