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Jul 26, 2013
In this intensely compelling story, 15-year-old Robie is returning home on a small cargo plane which goes down over the Pacific Ocean during an unexpected storm. After being pulled onto a small life raft by the only other survivor, Max, the two are in desperate straits. Max has suffered a serious concussion and isn’t always conscious. They have no drinking water, no food except a bag of Skittles, and there is no land anywhere in sight. What they do have is a flimsy, leaking raft and a dangerous tiger shark which is following them. Robie and Max hold very little hope of being rescued. Because Robie hadn’t told anyone of her last-minute change of plans, no one knows that she was on the cargo flight. No one will be looking for her, and even if they did, how would they find her? Robie and Max are in the middle of nowhere. This is an excellent survival story. The well-developed plot, with its unexpected twist, will keep a tight grip on readers right to the bittersweet conclusion of the story. Robie is a likeable, resourceful and realistic protagonist who, understandably, makes some mistakes. In the end, she is saved as much by her own mental strength as by the circumstances that finally, after many days, lead to her rescue.