Drone Chase

Ray MacLellan, 16, has to move with his parents from New York City to Bella Coola, a small, remote town in Northern British Columbia, to help look after his ailing grandfather. The move is hard for Ray as he struggles to fit in and deal with the family strife caused by the move. When the orphan bear cub his family takes in goes missing, Ray uses his custom-made drones to investigate and, in doing so, encounters a criminal bear-poaching gang in the process. Intrigue and danger unfold.

Drone Chase is a character-driven, first-person adventure story that would appeal to both readers looking for mystery or action and to those with an interest in dramatic character-driven plots. Ray is an easy-going, likeable and empathetic character with a love for animals and a loving devotion to his family despite its dysfunction. His struggles are relatable as he misses his friends and old life and grapples to adjust to his new life in this remote, rural town. He’s an interesting character with much to offer.

The themes in the novel are varied and compelling, from animal rights and the illegal trade in bear gallbladders, to learning about the outdoor skills necessary to survive in the wild, as well as racism, abuse, discrimination, family, relationships, and more. The majority of the characters are male, but there’s lots of sharing of emotion, and the heavy themes are carried with a balanced amount of lightheartedness and sense of humour. Ray’s interest in drones offers an interesting element to the story. The story would appeal to both the technology focused kids and those interested in animal rights and the wild.

The book, however, relies heavily on types in its minor characters such as Ray’s “feminine/big-city” mother who wears make-up and inappropriate clothing on a camping trip into the wild, to his sexist and abusive “mountain-man” grandfather, and the rural “small town hicks” who seem unwilling to welcome the newcomers to town.

While there is some cultural diversity offered in the warm and likeable Korean neighbors, the father, readers learn towards the conclusion of the novel, is also cast as an actor in the bear gallbladder-trafficking ring that is exposed, in order to obtain the traditional medicine it offers to his ill son. With so few BIPOC characters in children’s literature, it is a shame that the author would rely upon this kind of cultural trope in today’s world where there is a greater appreciation for the complexity and understanding of representation.

Despite the spectacular beauty of the novel’s setting in the Great Bear Rainforest, there is little time spent describing the scenery or beauty of this majestic place. Moments of reflection could have enhanced the setting which played such an important aspect of the novel. But overall, Drone Chase offers a good read, with many points of interest or appeal, to a diverse array of readers.