Somehow both brothers survive, but they are hypothermic, and on opposite sides of the river. Within two miles of rafting down the river, they hit ice and go under the water.

But anxious to see if all those caribou his grandfather had seen really do exist, Nick goes. Nick is alarmed, worried about the brother he has never met, worried that Jonah will not be able to hold on four more weeks, worried about the grolar bear still in the wild.

But when an unexpected invitation comes from his half-brother to travel down the Firth River in search of the caribou his grandfather had once seen, Nick decides to take the opportunity, after receiving encouragement from Jonah that he will wait until he hears stories of their trip before passing. Jonah is putting off death so he can hear more stories from Nick. Thankful to be alive, Nick shares the story of the grolar bear, park grizzly, part polar bear with his grandfather, who is entertained and alarmed by the story. On one hunting trip his caribou meat is stolen by the most vicious bear Nick has ever seen. Everything Nick does reminds him of Jonah, from his knowledge of the land to hunting advice to how to avoid bears. 4-12 (nothing inappropriate for the younger grades but the older grades will have an easier time with the deeper issues in the story) I enjoyed Never Say Die, so I will definitely be reading/listening to his other books! ( ) Will Hobbs has written several other nature adventure stories like this one. I have partial hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book. Cordero has a nice voice and read at an even pace. Narrated by Nick Cordero, the audio is just short of 4.5 hours long. I listened to the audio book version of this story (Recorded Books).

I loved the fact that the story balanced the environmentalist side of the issue with the Inuit way of life in terms of hunting, putting GPS tracking collars on wildlife, and killing bears. They have some pretty in-depth discussions on environmental responsibility, climate change, hunting and wildlife preservation.

Not only do Nick and Ryan have to learn to work together to survive, but they also build a relationship of mutual respect with each other. This is a great survival adventure story. Nick finally agrees to go on the trip, which turns out to be quite the adventure! Ryan is going to document changes in the caribou herd for a National Geographic special on climate change. As a half-Inuit living in Canada, Nick has a different view of hunting and trapping than Ryan does, so Nick is a bit unsure when his brother invites him to go on a 3-week trip into the wilderness with him. Nick is 15 and excited to meet his half-brother Ryan who works as a wildlife photographer.

Never Say Die by Will Hobbs