City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende (2002)

Since I love Isabel Allende, I thought I'd listen to some of her young adult books and was not disappointed. In this book, while his mother is being treated for cancer, 15 year old Alex has to go with his grandmother to the Amazon, where she has been sent by the fictional magazine International Geographic. Of course he lands in an adventure involving an egotistical anthropologis, nasty men who are trying to destroy the local Indians so they can exploit the land, Indians who have never had any contact with the outside world, and Nadia, the 12 year old daughter of their guide, who hears with her heart and communicates with animals. Since Alex and Nadia are pure of heart, they are allowed to see more of the Indian life than the adults and they learn to face their fears. Of course the story gets fantastic and they save the day and bring back some treasures that can help the Indians. Great adventure story that also educates.