Outlaw

Stephen Davies' Outlaw is on the Texas Lone Star Reading List 2013-14. It is an action-packed adventure that will appeal to fans of Horowitz's Alex Rider series. Jake Knight has a gift - he can scale high walls without any help. Jake's parents and sister, Kas, live in Burkina Faso in West Africa where his father is a highly regarded British Ambassador. Jake finds himself having to return to his family when he is booted out of his British boarding school for too many infractions. The story goes back and forth between what is happening in Jake’s life and a masterful outlaw dubbed The Chameleon – the Robin Hood of the Sahara Desert. When Jake and Kas are kidnapped by ruthless henchman the story quickly picks up with twists and turns. I love the way Davies intertwines modern technology and warfare with the simple natural resources that exist for those in the harsh desert. Other young adult books by Davies include The Yellowcake Conspiracy and Hacking Timbuktu.