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My new series, IQ just came out, preview the webpage! Book One is called: Independence Hall. Thirteen-year-old Quest (Q for short) used to live with his mother, a singer, on a sailboat in Sausalito, California. Fifteen-year-old Angela lived with her father, a songwriter, in a loft in San Francisco. Now their parent are married and Q and Angela are on a luxury motor coach traveling around the country on tour with their parents’ new band called Match. Their schoolwork for the year is a Web diary of their travels. Perfect… Q can practice his magic tricks and Angela can read her spy novels. What could go wrong? more

As Q and Angela settle into their new friendship as siblings, they notice certain things that are just too bizarre to be coincidence. How does a roadie named Boone find them in the middle of the desert where their coach just happens to break down? A mysterious man from the wedding keeps showing up in the same cities as they head across the country. Does he have anything to do with the mysterious death of Angela’s mother, who had been a Secret Service agent? When they reach Philadelphia, Q and Angela realize that this tour is definitely not the trip their parents had planned and that the “City of Brotherly Love” is full of intrigue and secrets that could threaten their new life together.

Suspense draws reader in
The Leaf Chronicle

Roland Smith's IQ is a page turner for the 21st century with a genuinely realistic feel. In this new globalized world, the good guys from different countries, or even within the same country, don't work together or trust each other. The bad guys are in small terrorist cells that could be embedded anywhere, in any country. Our heroes, Quest and Angela, feel like real kids trying to figure out how to forge their new relationship as step-siblings, albeit with the added thrill of very famous parents and ever deepening intrigue.

It was a pleasure to read a book for middle schoolers that is fast-paced, with great characters and dialogue, where the author cleverly restrains the amount gadgetry, gore, and personal grief, and relies on plot and characters to write a ripping good thriller.

Dara La Porte Manager: Children's and Teen's Department Politics and Prose Bookstore Washington, DC

"I love Roland smith's writing, and I,Q is one of his best. If Smith had been writing suspense novels when I was a teen, I'd have never had to discover Ian Fleming (James Bond); Roland Smith, with his new novel I,Q, has become an American Ian Fleming for young adults."

Terry Trueman, Author, Stuck In Neutral and Hurricane

Kirkus Reviews
Thirteen-year-old "Q,"or Quest, is at a life-changing moment. His singer-songwriter mother, Blaze, is marrying Roger, and together they have a hit album. The rocker couple plans a cross-country tour with the kids. A year out of school with only an online tutor leaves plenty of time for Q to practice his magic tricks and to get to know his new 15-year-old stepsister, Angela. The tour bus stops in Philadelphia, the parents exit to do their show-and Angela confides to Q that she believes they are being followed. With the help of Boone, a former roadie (and retired spook) who is now in charge of the kids, they realize that Angela is in danger: Her mother, a CIA agent believed to have perished in a terrorist attack, may still be alive. A blend of adventure, suspense, intelligently imagined characters and terrific authorial sleight-of-hand (not to mention Q's own card tricks) will keep readers engaged as the kids solve the mystery in this series opener. An interactive website is scheduled to launch with the book's release. (Fiction. 10-14)

You can Pre-Order I,Q at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com

But as soon as Nick arrives, trouble erupts in this remote Burmese elephant village. Japanese soldiers invade, and Nick's father is taken prisoner. Nick is stranded on the plantation, forced to work as a servant to the new rulers. As life in the village grows more dangerous for Nick and his young friend, Mya, they plan their daring escape. Setting off on elephant back, they will risk their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese POW camp.
In this thrilling journey through the jungles of Burma, Roland Smith explores the far-reaching effects of World War II, while introducing readers to the fascinating world of wild timber elephants and their mahouts.

Fourteen-year-old Nick Freestone is sent from London in 1941 by his mother to protect him from the German air raids. As he arrives in Burma to live with his father on the family teak plantation, he is thrust from one theatre of war directly into another. Though Nick had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to reconnect with his father and learn about the management of the family plantation, particularly the elephants used to harvest the teak, this is not to be. Now safe from the German army, he and his father are taken prisoner by the Japanese army. Nick is kept on as slave labor at the plantation while his father is sent to a POW camp nearby. Maya, the beautiful sister of one the plantation elephant handlers is imprisoned at the plantation as well. Her beauty draws her unwanted attention and puts her in danger. As one of her captors escalates his advances towards her, Nicks father is becoming sicker and sicker in the POW camp. Nick and Maya decide they must escape. With the help of a local monk and one of the plantation elephants, Nick and Maya attempt to escape, taking Nicks father with them. This book provides a moving story of a boy´s journey into manhood as well as an action-packed adventure that keeps the pages turning. It also provides a look at the innocent victims of war, the animals. The interactions between man and elephant in this book are fascinating. This is a great book to draw boys or reluctant readers into the realms of historical fiction.
Caroline B. Hopenwasser

It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for 14-year-old Nick Freestone, as he is sent out of London during the Blitz only to arrive at his father's teak plantation in Burma right before the Japanese invade. When his father is taken prisoner and hauled off to a prisoner-of-war camp and the plantation is taken over by the Japanese, Nick eventually escapes and reunites with his father with the help of an ancient Buddhist monk, a beautiful, smart girl named Mya, a Burmese Robin Hood, a rampaging bull elephant and various people resisting the Japanese occupation. It's the thrilling adventure tale Smith is known for, strong on plot and setting, and though the beginning is an uneasy mix of story and information, the tale soon rolls. Adult readers will be reminded of The Bridge on the River Kwai, as the threats of the steamy jungle and the brutality of enemy soldiers are twin complications in a country at war. An adventure tale that is also a family story-as is Smith's other 2007 title, Peak. (Fiction. 10-13)
Kirkus Reviews

As German bombs fall on London, 14-year-old Nick is sent to Burma to live with his British father on their teak plantation. Unforeseen in this plan is the impending invasion that puts them, along with the locals, under Japanese rule. Nick is forced to work on the plantation for the brutal commanders and his father is placed in a labor camp. The boy's predicament escalates as his trust in the Burmese employees who once worked for his father is challenged by their newfound loyalty to the Japanese. Escape through the jungle, with the help of a well-respected monk and great-grandfather to the boy's new friend Mya, is the only way out. This novel is filled with intrigue, danger, surprising plot twists, and suspense. It´s a well-developed historical adventure with villains and heroes that describes aspects of British colonization, forced occupation, and World War II.
School Library Journal

Awards:
Winter 2007/2008 Children's Book Sense Picks
Anderson´s Bookshop 2008 Mock Newbery Award List

American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults 2009

Nominated:
New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Reads Award 2008/2009
2008/2009 Great Stone Face Children´s Book Award
Vermont 2008/2009 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Mast List

Order now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Powell's.

Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. Curriculum is ready. more

He wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.

Peak wins the National Outdoor Book Award!
Miami Herald Best Kid's Books for 2007.
Peak makes the 2008/2009 Texas Lone Star Reading List.
Booklist Editor's Choice, 2007
ALA 2008 Best books for Young Adults
ALA 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
ALA 2008 Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults
New York Public Library's 2008 Books for the Teen Age List
Mock Newberry Winner
Twelve Corners Middle School Mock Newbery Honor
Stillwater Library Mock Newbery List

Nominated:
2010 Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award
New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Reads Award 2008/2009
2009 Nevada Young Reader's Award
Maryland 2008/2009 Black-eyed Susan Award
Maine Student Book Award 2008/2009
Colorado Children's Book Award 2009
North Carolina Children's Book Award 2009
Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2008/2009

Click screen to see a short clip of me talking about Peak for Scholastic Book Fairs.

Order the book today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells.

Teachers! Curriculum for Peak is available. It is absolutely free. All you have to do is download it.

What the critics are saying about Peak!

This is a thrilling, multifaceted adventure story . Booklist

If you know a recalcitrant reader, a teen or preteen perhaps, who swears that he could more easily scale Mount Everest than finish a novel, try handing him a copy of Peak. Christian Science Monitor

Deftly developed characters who matter and a gritty story line packed with the intrigue and challenge of serious mountain climbing for serious stakes make this book a riveting read for reluctant and experienced readers alike. VOYA

Peak's first-person narration, evolves into a gripping story that pulls no punches about the toll Everest exacts on body and psyche alike. Horn Book

The narrative offers enough of a bumpy ride to satisfy thrill seekers while Peak’s softer reflective quality lends depth and…emotional resonance. Kirkus

…the perfect antidote for a kid who thinks books are boring. The nifty plotting, gripping story line and Peak's assured delivery give those who join this expedition much to savor. Publisher’s Weekly

A well-crafted plot and exotic setting give the novel great appeal to survival adventure fans. School Library Journal

Magnificent, enthralling, and entertaining. Peak’s journey is about much more than the character’s assent of a mountain . Pam Munoz Ryan , author of Esperanza Rising

Everything a great adventure story should be and a whole lot more—with powerful, unforgettable characters and a driving can’t-put-it-down plot. Terry Trueman, author of Stuck in Neutral

“An” adrenaline laced novel… Chicago Tribune

(All Peak Reviews)

Here´s a wonderful review from my friend Jonathan Downes–fearless leader of the Centre For Fortean Zoology in the latest edition of The Journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. You can visit their webpage to learn about cryptids and cryptozoology.

Whereas most review books turn up in these columns because either we have learned about the book somewhere, and telephoned up the publisher to blag a copy, or because either the author or publisher has sent us a copy on spec hoping that we would be interested. This review, however, is unique in my 20 odd years of writing book reviews, because I received it as a wedding present! When Corinna and I got married last summer, amongst our wedding gifts was this book, from our friend, and CFZ Indiana representative, Elizabeth Clem. We thanked her, and the book joined the teetering pile of books waiting to be read which graces my side of the marital bed.

Much to my embarrassment, it was only a few days in bed with a bug about three weeks ago that spurred me into finally reading it, and I have only one word for it: MAGNIFICENT. I am not a fan of crypto-fiction as a whole, and to be quite honest I find much contemporary juvenilia too refined and PC for my liking, but this book is a veritable tour de force. It tells the story of twelve year old twins who – following the disappearance of their parents – go to live with an eccentric uncle who happens to be a cryptozoologist. They soon find themselves embroiled in a life and death struggle to find the last clutch of the eggs of the Mokèlè-mbembè, and save them from a satisfyingly nasty corporate villain.

The hero, Wolfe, is unusual, in that he is a disabled, big bloke with long hair and an unkempt beard. Being such a fellow myself, I am always pleased when authors resist the temptation to make their characters identikit G.I. Joes, with short back and sides, and bodies in perfect working order.

So I checked out the author´s website, and wrote to him, and it turned out that Senor Smith is actually a member of the CFZ. To might slight embarrassment, but great pride, he wrote: "I actually thought about you when I was developing Wolfe and Marty. There is a bit of you in both of them." It is all very gratifying, but I hope that you realize what you have done Mr. Smith! My nieces and nephews will never be satisfied with jut paying a visit to Uncle Jon now – they will all demand adventures like this one!

A smashing book. Despite my unwitting role within it, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Jonathan Downes

Read Jack's Run! Sequel to my bestselling, award winning novel, Zach's Lie!

When Jack Osborne's father was arrested for drug trafficking, he agreed to tell the authorities everything he knew about his ex-boss, the ruthless drug czar Alonzo Aznar. more

Zach's Lie won the Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award plus the Flicker Tale Children's Book Award. Horizon Intertainment has optioned Zach's Lie for film! Director Erahm Christopher has been attached as Director. The film will be produced by Erahm and John C. Pohl. Erahm and I will be co-writing the screenplay. Here's webpage. more

waves

Order Roland and Marie's Waves book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells.

Zookeeper This newest picture book may be ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells. Curriculum is ready.

N alphabet Another picture book in the Alphabet series may be ordered at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Powells.

Curriculum is now available for: Elephant Run, Peak, Cryptid Hunters, Z is for Zookeeper, Zach's Lie, B is for Beaver, Thunder Cave, Jaguar, Sasquatch, The Captain's Dog. Thanks for visiting!

Please take a look at a new page on my website featuring photos of friends and family.