Thursday, December 12, 2024

Alone

by Megan E. Freeman

Maddie and her friends have the Best. Plan. Ever. Maddie tells her mom she's at her dad's. And tells her dad she's at her mom's. And her friends hatch a similar plan with their parents. But really, they're going to Maddie's grandparents' condo. They're only in town in the summer. It's the perfect plan, until Ashanti gets sick, and the whole thing gets called off. Maddie has already bought all the snacks, though, so she goes ahead and has the party by herself. She falls asleep with her phone on silent, and when she wakes up, she's... alone. Everyone has been evacuated for an unknown reason, and Maddie has to figure out what's going on and how to survive. I absolutely loved this tense, super suspenseful novel in verse!

 

The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling

Nora's mom died in a tragic restaurant shooting at Nora's birthday dinner. Understandably, her father wants to wrap her up and protect her from everything now, and she's suffocating. On the one year anniversary, he takes her on a camping/hiking trip to try to get their minds off what happened a year ago. But suddenly, tragedy strikes again, separating Nora from her dad. Now she's alone in the Arizona desert. It's hard enough trying to live through wild animals, hunger, and dehydration, but the ghosts of her past also won't leave her alone. Can Nora find her dad, and the peace she craves? This is a well-written and tensely paced novel in verse that will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys survival stories.