Marlo is really looking forward to a backcountry canoe trip with her mom. Marlo’s dad left them recently, and then her best friend, Amos, has frozen her out since a few weeks before school ended. Mom says she has a surprise for the trip, and when they get to their launch area, Amos and his dad are waiting to join them. Worse, on the second day, the parents decide to give Amos and Marlo time together in one of the canoes. But the kids lose sight of the parents’ canoe, and they take a wrong turn, getting completely separated. Can the kids put their differences aside and work together to survive in the wilderness?
Meika Hashimoto has written a real page-turner of a survivor story with a nice twist of having a very relatable friendship conflict at the center of it. The voice of Marlo telling the story is pitch-perfect. The two kids battling against the wilderness of Alaska keeps tension on every page. The friendship drama adds to that tension and even adds a little mystery. As survivor stories go, this one is top-notch. Young readers (and older ones too) will love this one.
