Some of you may have heard that Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet and many other books, died this week. In honor of an author who sparked a love of survival stories in so many generations of kids, I started a list of survival stories for today’s Brainstorm and realized I had WAY too many books on my list, and I needed to narrow it down. I’ve decided for today’s list I’ll stick with the books most like Hatchet, realistic fictional survival stories. I may do some future Brainstorms with the dystopian survival stories, true survival stories, war survival stories, North Korean survival stories, Amazon survival stories, etc. (Oh the subgenres of survival stories!) Obviously, the books in today’s Brainstorm are all good recommendations for readers who love survival stories and contemporary fiction so I won’t bother listing that in every single Target Readers section. Click on the titles to see my full review of each one including any content notes/trigger warnings.
The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling
It's Nora's birthday. Her dad has picked a slot canyon for them repel into and explore. Nora is super excited to be doing something somewhat normal with her father. She and her mom and dad used to go hiking and rock climbing all the time. But ever since the disaster on her last birthday, a disaster that ended her mom's life, they haven't done much, and her father has become more and more reclusive. He believes the only safe place is somewhere without any other people. Somewhere like a slot canyon in the middle of the desert. But danger lurks even in the absence of other people, and a flash flood comes and Nora and her dad are separated. The disaster makes all her anxiety and PTSD come to the surface. Can Nora conquer the Beast that stalks her in order to survive and be reunited with her dad?
An excellently written novel in verse that explores a lot of issues tactfully, features a desert-savvy girl, and moves at a good pace.
Target Readers:
Mental Health Story Fans, Canyoneering Fans, Desert Setting Fans, Novel in Verse Fans, Quick Read Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Cove by Cynan Jones
A man goes out in a kayak to spread his father's ashes in the cove. In order to not disturb some others on the beach, he decides to go further out than he intended and come back later. But during that time, a storm rolls in and the man is struck by lightning. He wakes up disoriented, with no clue how long he was knocked out, no sight of land, and suffering side-effects of being hit by lightning. Can he make it back to land?
The only reason I first noticed this book is that the cover had a note on it about the author winning a Welsh writing prize, and I couldn't think of another Welsh author I've read off the top of my head. It's a different little book that's less than 100 pages long.
Target Readers:
Sea Story Fans, Welsh Author Fans, Quiet/Introspective Story Fans, Quick Read Fans, Short Story Fans, Adult Readers (though approachable to well-read YA readers)
The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens
Hannah lives in an idyllic remote community on Pelling island near Seattle. After school she heads over to one of her two neighbor's houses to babysit the Matlock kids while their mom goes to an art show in the city. Hannah is a little nervous as it is only her 2nd time babysitting ever. Just a little while after Ms. Matlock leaves, and Hannah is in the middle of a texting argument with her supposed best friend, a major earthquake hits. The Cascades never get earthquakes, or so Hannah thought. But they are definitely in the middle of one and its aftershocks now. Can Hannah and the two elementary-age Matlock kids survive on their own in their isolated community till help comes?
I could not put this one down! The characters are believable, likable kids in a very plausible situation, and they have to figure out some tricky situations all on their own.
Target Readers:
Natural Disaster Story Fans, Unputdownable Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Mark is tired of his life being controlled by illness. He's tired of putting on a brave face. He's tired of hiding tears. He's tired of making his parents cry. And so when the latest news comes from the doctor that the cancer is back again Mark grabs his dog and decides to go climb Mt. Rainier. He's thought this through enough that he leads a false trail for the police and his parents so he can actually make it there. The way to the mountain is rough, especially for someone as sick as Mark, but he's determined to die on his own terms. He did leave a note for his best friend Jessie, giving her a clue as to where he's gone. But he trusts her to keep his secret, just as he's trusted her to let him be real when no one else would. Jessie is tormented by this burden Mark has left on her shoulders. Is it best to let him have his desire, or should she tell his worried parents where he is? As Mark sets out to conquer the mountain, he finds unexpected things the trip brings up that he must confront to get at the honest truth.
This sounds like a horribly hard read, and in some ways it is but Gemeinhart was a wizard with his writing. It isn't as gut-wrenching as you think it might be. It is a pretty even-keeled look at what a person going through cancer experiences, but it is done in an exceedingly artful way.
Target Readers:
Pediatric Cancer Story Fans, Mental Health Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson
Victoria Secord is a musher, a sled dog racer. She grew up doing this with her dad and she's determined to win a race in his honor this year since he isn't around to win his own. When Victoria hears that Mr. Cook is possibly going to sell his sled dogs, she decides she can't miss the opportunity to snatch up some of his champions. Her mom won't drive her over, so she quickly decides to take a small team of dogs on some back trails. She throws in basic stuff she might need for an afternoon run and is off. Her plans for a quick trip are thrown for a loop when she comes across a guy who just wrapped his snowmobile around a tree and obviously needs help. She hauls him into the sled and listens to his directions to his place, only to be stopped by a blizzard bearing down on them quickly. Victoria gets them squared away to weather out the snow storm, figuring they'll be able to find Chris's place in the morning. But come morning, she finds out that Chris just moved to Alaska from Ontario yesterday, he couldn't find his way without blazing lights, oh, and he managed to get her only map caught on fire last night. Obviously Chris isn't going to be any help, so it's all up to Victoria to get them back to warmth and shelter. Without the map and in an area with no cell phone reception, though, that is going to be tricky. It'll be a battle against all the Alaskan winter wilderness can throw their way to see if they can survive.
If you're looking for a survival read that is on the cozier end of the spectrum, this is a great pick. It never gets too heavy, and even has moments of humor.
Target Readers:
Dog Lovers, Alaskan Setting Fans, Wintry Survival Fans, Light Romance Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
Tash burns to see her people freed from the oppressive soldiers that enforce all the restrictive rules in Tibet and prevent them from singing traditional songs or even saying the name of the Dalai Lama. Tash’s parents work for the resistance. After a man sets himself on fire in the town square, the soldiers start cracking down on everyone they even remotely suspect of being involved in the resistance and throwing them in jail. Tash’s parents know they are next. As the soldiers come down their street, they sneak her out the back window and give her a backpack containing something very important the soldiers must not find. After their arrest, Tash starts to make her way to the one person she thinks can help, the Dalai Lama. Her best friend Sam joins her, and an old man in the village lets them borrow his yaks Eve and Bones. The two children must sneak out of the village, evade the soldiers, and find their way to India through the Himalayan passes to see if they can pass on whatever message the backpack contains and get help for their village.
I love the Tibetan/Himalayan setting of this story and the way it tactfully makes readers aware of the human rights issues going on there in recent years. Also, the yaks are great.
Target Readers:
Tibet/Himalaya Setting Fans, Wintry Survival Fans, Adventure Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick
The plan was for Sam to go to summer camp while his mom went to rehab to get her life back together. Sam made it to camp, but when wildfires break out he gets left behind when he ducks out of line to grab the phone he forgot. Now he's on a race against the flames through the Maine wilderness. After a few days he runs into Delphy, an older girl who was at another camp nearby. The two of them have to pull their know-how, grit, and resources to try and make it home.
I really liked how Sam and Delphy bonded in a quickly adopted little brother/big sister type of way. The story barely has a slow moment, but there is just enough time allotted to let Sam and Delphy work through their personal issues and experience some healthy growth.
Target Readers:
Natural Disaster Story Fans, Suspense Story Fans, Unlikely Friendship Fans, Fans of Stories about Kids with Parents in Rehab, Middle Grade Readers
