Adrift: Lost in Life, Marooned at Sea

This book wastes no time-- it's a great story about a resourceful teenage girl who reconnects with her dad (and connects for the first time with some other members of her newly blended family) during a sailboat outing gone horrifically bad. It's a quick read-- fast paced, sometimes terrifying, and kids love it. So do their parents. I started to read a few pages and was hooked till the end. Best of all, it's a story with a tough, smart young woman as hero. It should be in every middle school library.

This is truly a page turner - I couldn't put the book down until the very end. The pace never slows down and the suspense keeps on building. In addition to being a mighty good "nautical yarn" (in the tradition of "The old man and the sea") it is also a sensitive observation of the thoughts and emotions of a young girl struggling to adjust to a different "family". My only complaint is that this book might scare some younger readers away from sailing - that would be too bad!

Whether you are 13 or 30, you'll enjoy this excellent bit of fiction written for the younger set. This fast-paced story of a blended family caught in a hurricane is slightly reminiscent of heftier sea epics, yet told from the point of view of a young girl struggling with issues of adholescence, broken/reconstructed family, and shattered childhood dreams played out on the open sea. It's honest, gripping, and ultimately warm and satisfying. A page-turner that begs for Raver-Lampman to bring out the sequel soon.