Random Reads

These books deal with characters who basically live off the land in order to survive.  These books provide great adventure as the characters learn the basics in order to stay alive. 

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

  This is a companion novel to Life As We Knew It (see review under Living off the Land) and follows the story of what happens when an asteroid hits the moon leaving apocalyptic weather changes such as earthquakes and tsunamis that alter life as people know it.  People are dying by the millions, food shortages cause hysteria and disease are part of everyday life.  Alex Morales is seventeen years old and left to take care of his two younger sisters after their parents go missing.  Alex is heroic in his efforts to care for his younger siblings and readers will cheer for their survival.  This novel is much more graphic and depressing than Life As We Knew It.  After reading this exceptionally well written novel, this reader went out and made an emergency survival kit in case catastrophe ever strikes earth. 

Life As We Knew It by Beth Pfeffer

      Miranda is sixteen years old when an asteroid strikes the moon that alters life on earth forever.  Astronomists miscalculated the effect and widespread tsunamis, earthquakes, and flooding destroy earth to catastrophic proportions.  Miranda, her mother, and her two brothers are better off than most in their Pennsylvania town.  They have stocked up on food, supplies, and their woodburning stove provides warmth during the endless snow and cold.  Life dramatically changes as gas surges to $10.00 per gallon, grocery stores are wiped out, and school is closed indefinitely.  Readers will be captivated by the characters' survivalist mentality as they fight the weather, food shortages, and illness as they struggle to survive.  I thought this novel was extremely well written and held my attention until the very end. 

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

  Eli celebrates his 15th birthday in the compound, an underground bunker that his billionaire father built in the case of nuclear war.  Eli has spent the last six years underground with his family and continually mourns the loss of his grandmother and twin brother.  The compound is outfitted with all the latest technology, gadgets, and accomodations that any billionaire family is used to having around.  The family must remain underground for fifteen years until the air is safe to breath again.  Life continues as usual until a chance encounter on the Internet leave many unanswered questions for Eli.  Was there really a nuclear war that decimated the earth?  Is his twin brother really dead?  Is his father really a caring and doting father or someone sinister and evil?  The beginning of the novel is unique and different and leads the reader to believe the the entire novel will live up to the alluded mystery.  Halfway through, an odd plot twist destroys the facade and left this reader disappointed. 

Almost Home by Jessica Blank

  This novel is a harsh portrayal of teenage runaways living on the street.  I promise readers that you won't easily forget this novel for a very long time.  Each chapter is told from a different characters' viewpoint.  Survival includes scavenging for food, forming alliances, sex, drugs, and porn.  This book is clearly meant for older teens due to the content.  The ending does offer a glimmer of hope and there is a list of resources at novel's end.

Child of the Jungle: the True Story of a Girl Caught between Two Worlds by Sabine Kuegler 

   When Sabine was seven years old, her mother, father, younger brother, and older sister relocated to the New Guinea jungle to live with the Fayu, a stoneage tribe of people never having seen white folks before.  Sabine lived in the jungle until she was seventeen years old.  Sabine feels totally at home in the jungle and quickly adapts to the new and unique lifestyle.  Readers will get a rare view into the culture of the Fayu and will come away with a greater appreciation of their tribe.  When Sabine is 17, she is sent to a boarding school in Switzerland where she struggles to adapt to a modernized lifestyle.  She eventually graduates, has a baby, and even attempts suicide as she yearns for jungle life.  This book is an absolute gem waiting to be discovered.  I was utterly fascinated and completely absorbed with this tale of jungle life.  You surely don't want to miss this extraordinary read!

     World War II is the backdrop for this adventure novel that leaves young Phillip and his mother fleeing their island of Curacao when the Germans invade.  Their freighter is torpedoed by the Germans and Phillip ends up on a raft with a West Indian native Timothy.  The two end up stranded on a deserted cay where their survival instinct takes over until they can be rescued.  Phillip becomes blind and struggles to overcome his prejudices towards Timothy since he is black.  The two eventually form a special friendship and at one point, Phillip asks Timothy, "Are you still black?"  Although this novel is fast paced and readers will likely finish in record time, don't be fooled by the brevity.  The novel is action packed and of the highest quality.

     Grace Kincaid is living out every girl’s American dream.  She is a teenage tennis superstar with million dollar endorsement deals. Grace is blessed with blonde hair and superstar looks.  On the outside, it appears she has it all.  On the inside, she is nearing her breaking point.  She is constantly hounded by the paparazzi and wants to live a normal life.  She tells her mother the three magic words with no questions asked, “I want out.”  Grace is whisked off to live for 3 months (until things cool down) with an ex-FBI agent Ava Grady in a remote Alaskan city with a population of 813.  Grace becomes Emily O’Brien and begins living a normal life.  She meets an extremely cute boy and befriends his cousin who introduces her to normal everyday teenage life.  One major change in Grace’s life is living with Ava, who lives in a small cabin with no hot water or indoor plumbing.  Grace chops wood to stay warm and endures cold showers that she eventually grows used to.  She begins cooking for herself and picks ingredients out of the garden to enhance her meals.  Her major lifestyle change is relaxing until the press finds out her location.  This is a chic lit read but with substance to hold the reader’s attention throughout. 

     This novel depicts the life of a stray dog named Squirrel.  She is raised by her protective mother in an old shed with her brother Bone.  Their mother stays with them long enough until they are old enough to venture into the world.  Eventually Bone and Squirrel leave the protection of the shed and later become separated.  Squirrel narrates the hardships of life as a stray.  She encounters a few friendly people along the way who eventually abandon her.  She scrounges for food in dumpsters and trash cans and gets into a major fight along the way with a pack of street dogs.  Readers will be sympathetic with Squirrel’s plight and will root for a happy ending

     Cole Matthews is in deep trouble.  He gets into a fight at school with classmate Peter.  Cole is a troubled youth who is angry and continually getting into trouble.  It finally catches up with him when he severely hurts Peter.  In court, Cole's probation officer suggests using a new form of punishment called "Circle Justice" which is based on Native American tradition in which the accused and the victim are healed.  Cole has the option of either going to prison or to a remote Alaskan island and survive on his own with a few present day conveniences.  He chooses the island and immediately burns down his shelter.  After a while, Cole realizes his mistakes and in a strange twist, Peter, the classmate who he beat up, comes to the island in order to overcome what transpired.  Fans of Hatchet should definitely check this book out!

     Brian Robeson is thirteen years old and flying in a small single engine plane to visit his father.  The pilot ends up having a heart attack and dies. The plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness and Brian survives.  He is alone and on his own until he can be rescued.  The only thing that he has is a hatchet his mother had given him as a present.  At first, Brian is angry about the crash, his parents divorce, and believes he will be rescued quickly.  After a period, he realizes that his only chance of survival is himself.  Eventually, he learns to fish, hunt, and sets up camp.  A tornado wrecks his camp and he starts all over.  The wilderness is no match for Brian's will to survive.  The ending will leave the readers eager to read more.  Paulsen has written some follow up sequels that you won't want to miss.  This Newberry Honor Book is a  true classic tale of survival.

     Benita is fourteen years old when her father announces that they are moving from Ecuador to a primitive island named Paita.  Her father has lost his business due to the depression in the 1930's.  Benita's grandmother owns some land on the island and her father is going to try and cultivate it by starting a coconut farm.  The family arrives and is shocked to discover a culture that is behind the times.  They end up living in a shack and her father's arrogance and the way he cheats the natives further isolates the family.  Benita falls in love with an island boy named Raul and they run off to the other side of the island.  They set up a makeshift home and plan to marry.  Benita eventually learns that Raul is somebody completely different and they eventually return in order to save Raul's life.  This coming of age story will stick with you long after you read it.  The author captures the essence of the island and the traditions of the natives.  The family's adjustment to this primitive culture is quite fascinating.

     Beth, a social misfit, teams up with three other outcasts for an English assignment.  The assignment, the Henry Contract, eventually takes on a life of its own.  Inspired by the writings and philosophies of Henry David Thoreau, the group decides to construct a cabin in Wayburn Woods.  They visit the cabin after school and cook easy meals, observe the surrounding wildlife, and read Thoreau.  Wayburn Woods is eventually sold to a land developer who wants to tear down the woods for development.  Beth and her friends decide to fight the developer and try to convince people about the aesthetic value of the woods.  Beth keeps a journal of her time at the cabin which is eventually published in the school newspaper.  Each individual experiences self-discovery as they lead a quiet and peaceful existence in the woods.  A climatic confrontation with the developer and the group's struggle to fight for the woods provide an excellent read about ecology and land preservation.

     This novel is like Lord of the Flies meets Girl, Interrupted.  Stacy is a troubled teen who uses drugs, parties, and sneaks out of the house.  Her parents are fed up and decide to send to her to wilderness camp, a last resort type of /punishment/rehabilitation for wayward girls.  Camp Archstone is located on a remote island off the coast of Florida that is sparsely populated and full of jungles.  Upon arrival, Stacy meets a variety of girls with different backgrounds and problems.  It is later revealed that Stacy had an affair with a teacher, got pregnant, and forced to have an abortion by her religious father.  After arriving at camp, the girls are forced to partake in a grueling 10 mile hike.  During the hike, their leader is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant.  The girls battle to survive as they struggle against the environment, an unknown stalker, and even themselves. The beginning portion of the novel is a little slow, but once the girls began their hike, the story reads like a suspenseful tale of survival against nature.