"I write about things that are important to me and the most important things to me in my novels are the characters. I have to really care about what happens to them so my readers care about what happens to them."
Roland Smith (born November 30, 1951) is an American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction books for children. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Smith took part in the animal rescue efforts; in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles. In 1997, he turned to fiction with the first installment of the Jacob Lansa trilogy. Smith has also co-written several picture books with his wife Marie Smith.
His official website can be found here
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Non-fiction by Roland Smith:
- Sea Otter Rescue (1990)
- Primates in the Zoo (1992)
- Snakes in the Zoo (1992)
- Inside the Zoo Nursery (1993)
- Cats in the Zoo (1994)
- Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises in the Zoo (1994)
- African Elephants (1995)
- Journey of the Red Wolf (1996) Note
- Vultures (1997)
- In the Forest with the Elephants (1998)
Picture books by Roland and Marie Smith:
- B is for Beaver (2003)
- E is for Evergreen (2004)
- Z is for Zookeeper (2005)
- N is for our Nation’s Capital (2010)
- S is for Smithsonian (2010)
- W is for Waves (2013)
- T is for Time (2015)
Fiction series by Roland Smith:
- Jacob Lansa trilogy - Thunder Cave (1997), Jaguar (1999), The Last Lobo (2001)
- After the sudden death of his mother, fourteen-year-old Jacob Lansa journeys to Kenya in order to join his father Robert, and soon finds himself involved in his father's work, both as a scientist and in protecting animals from poachers. Book 3 includes an appearance by Buckley Johnson, first introduced in Sasquatch.
- Sasquatch (1998)
- One spring break, young Dylan Hickock gets involved in the adventure of a lifetime when he finds himself involved in his father's mission to protect the Sasquatch (AKA Bigfoot) from a group of scientists with less than ethical intentions.
- Cryptid Hunters series - Cryptid Hunters (2005), Tentacles (2009), Chupacabra (2013), Mutation (2014)
- Marty and Grace O'Hara are sent to live with their uncle Travis Wolfe after their parents, renowned nature photographers, disappear in the Amazon jungle. The twins soon discover their uncle's work revolves around searching out unknown animals often believed to be myths, known as cryptids. Along the way, they also learn the secret of Grace's parentage and the evil committed by Wolfe's arch-rival Noah Blackwood, a supposed conservationist. Jacob Lansa and Dylan Hickock also appear in later volumes of the series.
- Jack Osborne duology - Zach's Lie (2003), Jack's Run (2007)
- When his family is forced to enter the witness protection program after his father agrees to testify against a crime boss he formerly worked for, Jack Osborne's life will never be the same.
- Peak Marcello series - Peak (2007); The Edge (2015); Ascent (2018); Descent (2020)
- Teenage climbing addict Peak Marcello moves to Thailand to join his estranged father, who has big plans for him: he wants Peak to become the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. In the sequel, on a trip to the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Peak must put his skills to use to rescue his mother after she's kidnapped; later, he travels to Myanmar to climb Hkakabo Razi, one of the most isolated mountains in the world, and finally, after surviving an avalanche during that climb, must descend into Tibet... where his father Josh and his climbing guide Zopa are both wanted by the Chinese government, and their old enemy Shek is waiting for them.
- I, Q series - Independence Hall (2008), The White House (2010), Kitty Hawk (2012), The Alamo (2013), The Windy City (2014), Alcatraz (2014) Note
- "Quest" (or "Q") and his stepsister Angela are traveling the country with their rock star parents, but soon find themselves involved with agents of the U.S. Secret Service and the Israeli Mossad, who are each following them for different reasons, all related to a dangerous spy/terrorist organization.
- Storm Runners trilogy - Storm Runners (2010), The Surge (2011), Eruption (2012)
- Chase Masters and his father John are "storm runners," racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods; when bad weather strikes, they're never far behind. One year after beginning this career, the two arrive in Florida just in time to help the locals survive the oncoming Hurricane Emily. Set in the same universe as the I, Q series, and prior to its events.
- Beneath series - Beneath (2015), Above (2016)
- Nearly a year after his underground-loving brother Coop mysteriously disappears, Pat O'Toole begins receiving messages from Coop via the mail. When those messages stop, Pat sets out to find him, and soon learns Coop has joined the Community, a self-sufficient group of people living beneath the streets of New York City. Upon arriving at the Community himself, Pat discovers that Coop has gone deeper underground to investigate another secret society... one bent on bringing death and destruction to the surface world.
Fiction standalones by Roland Smith:
- Elephant Run (2007)
- It's 1941, and young Nick Freestone moves to his father's Teak plantation in Burma to escape the German bombing of London. However, when his father is taken prisoner by Japanese soldiers, Nick and his new friend Mya set off on elephant back, risking their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese POW camp.
- The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe (2008)
- The story of Seaman, a Newfoundland puppy who finds a home with Meriwether Lewis, and joins he and William Clark on their landmark expedition to the west.
- Legwork (2011; e-book)
- Student and aspiring football star Briggs Barclay begins an odd friendship with his paraplegic neighbor Theodore Ranly. Unbeknownst to Briggs, Ranly is a partner in a detective agency, and soon asks for his help in a case, which will require Briggs to travel to Montana and back in order to rescue a kidnapped four-year-old.
- Hijack Over Weaver's Needle (2012)
- When he's blamed for a series of accidents at the airline he works for, engineer Jack Traner sets in motion a plan for revenge reminiscent of D. B. Cooper's 1971 hijacking.
- The Switch (2020)
- A boy named Henry lives on a farm with his parents and dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins, and life is comfortable and routine. But when a passenger jet falls from the sky onto their land and all their power and technology go out, the family must work together to survive.
Contributions to other series by Roland Smith:
- The 39 Clues, series 2, #4: Shatterproof (2012)
- A multi-author series featuring the Cahill family and their strange secret; divided into four separate arcs.
This author's work includes examples of:
- Canon Welding:
- Thunder Cave (1997) introduces Jacob Lansa. Sasquatch (1998) begins as a standalone, introducing Dylan Hickock and his friend Buckley Johnson, but Johnson goes on to meet Jacob in The Last Lobo (2001), linking the two series. Likewise, Cryptid Hunters (2005) started as a standalone, but its sequel Tentacles (2009) has Jacob appear, and Dylan is also mentioned, joining the cast in Chupacabra (2013).
- The I, Q series began releasing in 2008; its second book was released in 2010, and its third in 2012. Meanwhile, the Storm Runners trilogy was released in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and the events of book 3 (and the trilogy as a whole, since it took place over the course of just a few days) are referenced in I, Q #3 as having already happened, with John Masters (father of Storm Runners protagonist Chase Masters) coming to the aid of the main cast.
- The Cartel: The villains of the Jack Osborne duology.
- Cult Defector: The main character of the Beneath duology tracks his runaway brother to the underground headquarters of a sinister cult and ends up convincing him to leave, along with the cult leader's granddaughter, who's never been aboveground in her life.
- Non Conformist Dyed Hair: In The Switch, Henry recalls how his friend Caroline was the first girl in their school to dye her hair pink (and get piercings), only to switch back to her normal appearance after all of the other girls in the school started imitating her.
- Witness Protection: The Jack Osborne duology has teenager Jack Osborne's family be forced to enter the witness protection program after his father agrees to testify against a crime boss he formerly worked for, and who is still very much active. Part 1 ends with the family having to relocate again when their initial set of identities are discovered by the crime boss; by the end of book 2, said crime boss has been successfully arrested, allowing them to return to their normal lives.
- A World Half Full: The Switch is a dystopian novel which ends months after an unexplained but destructive EMP and lots of anarchy, looting, and starvation. However, the fortified valley the main character, his large extended family, and their neighbors live in remains secure. They also find Henry's missing father. Outside of the valley, more people are restoring cars (although the parts are hard to combine) and making electricity with wind turbines. The military is slowly restoring order, and the police and fire departments are reforming. And while Caroline is still dead, Henry still hears her talking to him in a mostly pleasant way in a Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane fashion from time to time.
