A charming, fantastical story about an expedition into the Amazonian rain forests, told from the perspective of 15-year-old Californian Alexander Cold. He is unexpectedly taken on the trip by his intrepid and formidable grandmother Kate, joining a group including a leading anthropologist, photographers and mercenaries. They encounter a tribe untouched by civilisation but Alex, with his new friend Nadia, end up seeing far more in the depths of the jungle. Aimed at young adults, City of the Beasts is lighter and more innocent than some of Isabel Allende’s other novels but it features some of her trademark magic and richness of imagination as well as highlighting the dangers to South America’s flora and fauna from capitalist exploitation.