Stranded
Gr 4-7-In this exciting survival novel, four kids from a recently blended family are sent sailing to get to know one another better. When a sudden storm front moves in, the boat runs into a rocky shoal and starts taking on water. The children's uncle, the captain, prepares a life raft with his first mate, but the two of them and the raft disappear before the kids can get on. The ship runs aground on an unknown island. Now stranded in the South Pacific, the children must find a way to contact the coast guard and survive. During their adventure, they learn to cross deadly cliffs, go spelunking, and try to keep from being swept out to sea in raging water. The nautical terms and descriptions with little contextual clues are confusing for the first part of the book, but once the children get stranded on the island, the story begins to move at an exceedingly fast and exciting pace. While the plot delivers, the character development is lacking. The youngsters represent different stereotypes and rarely step outside their roles: the thinker, the technology guru, the stubborn athlete, and the problem-solving geek with untapped leadership potential. Readers should be able to identify with at least one character, but the lack of dynamic growth limits the audience to fans of adventure/survival books.-Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library, MEα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.