Help with books for a young 16 year old reader who says he liked Kite runner because it read like

[yellowdogintexas]

10. Dark are the Steps of Time by Lance Barron.

The story includes a lot of Mammoth Cave history and Lance does a good job of describing the cave, and what it is like to spend hours down there. I am pretty sure he has been on more than one exploration trip in Mammoth.

I am not sure about all of the characters, but Keven Neff, Stephen Bishop (and his owner) are/were real people. I have had the pleasure of knowing Keven for years.

The Mammoth Cave System is the world's longest known cave. It has been mapped to 425 miles and the passages have all been explored by humans and are not based on dye traces.

If one becomes interested in reading about caves, I suggest 'The Caves Beyond', 'The Longest Cave', 'Trapped' and 'Beyond Mammoth' All of these were written by experienced cavers who have been an important part of the exploration projects.