Review by New York Times Review
LET ME SET THE SCENE: It's a hot summer night and you're in bed with a book. The window is open - sometimes a reader needs to hear crickets - and the room is bright enough so you can make out words on the page but not so bright that you can see what's in the shadows behind the closet door. You're looking for a little scare, just enough to raise goose bumps on the back of your neck. Three new books fit the bill. Kate Alice Marshall's I am still alive (VIKING, 336 PP $17.99; AGES 12 AND UP) may be the grand poobah of this season's young adult thriller category, giving suspense pros like Lois Duncan and Stephen King a run for their (abundant) money. This tense wire of a novel thrums with suspense, but also unexpectedly poignant moments. It opens like this: "I'm alone. I don't have much food. The temperature is dropping. No one is coming for me." Jess Cooper is writing in a notebook. She's 16 years old, marooned in a remote corner of Alaska, where she was sent to live with her father after her mother died in a car accident. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Jess hardly knew her father and that she's still recovering from her own injuries (both psychic and physical) from the wreck that killed her mother. Yes, this is a lot to absorb, but Marshall metes out the bad news gracefully. One has the sense that she knows her audience well; "I Am Still Alive" is bound to appeal to the same tragedy-thirsty teenagers who made "The Fault in Our Stars" a phenomenon. Not surprisingly, Jess doesn't take kindly to her father's isolated, rugged way of life: Think "Into the Wild" meets "The Call of the Wild." She makes the best of it, as teenagers in novels do. (If only they were so adaptable in real life.) But then she receives yet another megadose of misfortune when three men arrive at the encampment and kill her dad, torching his cabin and most of his supplies. This is when the chilly spine of Marshall's story really becomes visible. And I do mean chilly. Alone, scared, baffled, Jess knows she will have to fight to survive as winter sets in. Her only company in this nightmare is her dad's dog, Bo, who immediately assumes the lifeline status of Tom Hanks's volleyball in "Castaway." (Who can forget that moment when Wilson bobs out to sea?) Luckily, in the few short weeks Jess spent with her dad, she paid close attention to his tips for navigating the wilderness: "Smart, not strong" and shelter before fire. First, she locates a rock overhang to sleep under. Then she takes stock of her dad's charred possessions - an ax blade, a few jars, a first-aid kit and a rope - and finds a way to put each to good use. Little by little, with many setbacks (some of them life-threatening), she builds a life for herself in the land her father loved. There are small triumphs, too - all the sweeter for having been accomplished against the odds: Jess catches her first fish, builds her first fire and weaves a scrim of hardy vines to protect herself from the elements. From her very first night alone, determination fuels Jess's recovery efforts: She wants revenge on the men who killed her father. She knows they'll be back - and so she waits, and strategizes, and cultivates an inner strength that is both remarkable and believable. From the pen of this brave young woman: "To survive you need to learn to hold contradictory things in your head at the same time. I am going to die; I am going to live." Finding out how she does this and what happens next just might be the highlight of your summer. Marisha Pessl's young adult debut, nevERWORLD WAKE (DELACORTE, 324 PP $18.99; ages 12 and up), takes us to a different kind of scary place. Not the remote tundra but a creepy mansion, the stuff of the ghostliest of ghost stories. Welcome to Wincroft, a hulking red brick and slate mansion on the Rhode Island coast, with "crow gargoyles perched forever on the roof." This is the hub and gathering spot of a tight-knit group of boarding school friends - or it was until one of them, Jim, died tragically, under mysterious circumstances. Our tour guide through Pessl's beautifully creepy world is Beatrice "Bee" Hartley, who is Jim's grieving girlfriend. We join her as she's returning to Wincroft for the first time in a year, determined to get answers from her friends about his death. The homecoming is bittersweet - a year might as well be a century when you're just out of high school, and Bee has a lot of catching up to do. But the reunion festivities are interrupted by a knock on the door: an old man, appearing out of the blue (no car, completely dry despite the rainstorm howling around him). And the man has a strange announcement: "You're all dead." What happens next is a mystery within a mystery - the question mark of Jim wrapped around a sci-fi head-scratcher - with tragic consequences. Fan's of Pessl's adult novels ("Special Topics in Calamity Physics," "Night Film") will recognize her trademarks: highly stylized dialogue â la "Dawson's Creek" and long, meandering sentences that may make the middle-aged reader wonder if she has attention-deficit disorder. But no matter. Pessl still weaves an old-fashioned yarn that makes you want to grab a friend's hand and inch a little bit closer to the campfire. Finally, for a crowd still getting their feet wet with thrillers, there's Sarah Jane's MAIDEN VOYAGE (SCHOLASTIC, 256 PP PAPER, $9.99; ages 12 and up), a clever, fast-paced retelling of the voyage of the Titanic through the eyes of three girls traveling under vastly different circumstances. (One is a servant, one is a pampered daughter of a wealthy man and the third is somewhere between the two, in addition to being betwixt and between in life.) Many readers of "Maiden Voyage" will not yet have seen the movie "Titanic." But even young disaster aficionados who know the fate of the boat will find themselves wrapped up in the stories of Isabella, Lucy and Abby. Each has her own secret and her own heartbreak; two are traveling alone (well, mostly) and all three are somehow alone in the world. That is, until they learn how the three of them are connected, which is the stuff Disney movies are made of. Bonus for the educationally minded: Jane pulls off the unusual feat of being both suspenseful and informative, gracefully incorporating technical details about the boat into high-drama scenes. As for what happens after the iceberg: We'll leave that for the kids to find out. ? Jess must hold contradictory ideas in her head at the seime time: 'I am going to die; I am going to live.' Elisabeth egan is the books editor at Glamour and the author of the novel "A Window Opens."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 2, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Jess hasn't seen her father in years, so she doesn't know what to expect when she lands at the remote Alaska airport where he's supposed to pick her up. Still, she's surprised by an even further journey into the back country of Canada, where her father lives off the grid in a cabin he built by himself. Her new situation is tough, and the debilitating injuries and chronic pain she sustained during the car crash that killed her mother make it even worse. But when her father is murdered by men from his past, who burn his cabin to the ground, Jess has to rely on the meager skills she learned in their brief time together to survive a winter in the wilderness. In Marshall's captivating, suspenseful debut, Jess' struggle to survive becomes vivid and palpable. In her intense internal narrative, she gradually reveals the circumstances of her father's murder, while tracing her painstaking efforts to cobble together a shelter and hunt for food. Marshall's evocative, visceral language cultivates a vivid sense of the sheer physicality of Jess' survival, and she breathes vibrant life not only into Jess' character but also that of her irascible, loyal dog, Bo. With masterful pacing, rich characterization, a dynamic voice, and a thrilling blend of wilderness survival and revenge, this is an engrossing read from a writer to watch.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Marshall's striking first novel follows two parts of 16-year-old Jess Cooper's life: before and after her father is murdered and she's left to fend for herself in the Canadian wilderness. After her mother dies in a car crash that leaves Jess with a bad foot, she travels from Seattle to Canada to live with her father, who left them years before. He lives in a remote cabin in the woods and attempts to teach Jess survival skills, but she resents him, and they agree that she'll stay there one year and then decide whether to return home. But she soon discovers that her dad is mixed up with some bad guys, and when they show up to collect their loot, they kill him, leaving her alone with his dog, Bo. To stay alive, Jess must summon great physical and mental strength; she learns to hunt, fish, build fire, and find shelter, but any mistake could be fatal. Marshall builds tension steadily as winter approaches and Jess plots her revenge. The diary format and Marshall's immersive descriptions will hook readers into this exhilarating survival story. Ages 12-up. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Already devastated from the car accident that killed her mother and left her leg badly damaged, Jess Cooper is off to Northern Canada to live with a father she barely knows in a completely isolated cabin. Being in seclusion is part choice and part necessity due to her father's secretive involvement with a dangerous group. When men unexpectedly show up, Jess must hide in the woods and watch in shock as they murder her father, burn the cabin, and leave what they think is an abandoned scene. The only other person who knows about Jess is thousands of miles away. With the sole companionship of her father's dog and a few supplies salvaged from the fire, Jess sets out to do the only thing she can-survive. Chapters alternate between past and present, keeping readers engaged while building suspense. Jess shows strength in adversity, first from the death of her mother and then from her own will to live. Jess battles her father, the strange men, nature, and herself throughout Marshall's tension-filled adventure. Scenes of gun violence happen on page. Readers who enjoy postapocalyptic books will be rewarded if they try this more realistic novel. VERDICT A gripping tale of endurance and discovery of inner strength. A strong purchase.-Carrie Finberg, South Park High School, PA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
After her mother's death, Jess Cooper moves in with her estranged father, who lives off the grid in remote Canada. When her dad is murdered by intruders from his shady past, who then burn down their cabin, Jess finds herself stranded in the wilderness with only Dad's dog as a companion. Despite the dark and harrowing circumstances, readers will relate to Jess's strong and determined character. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Still battered from the car crash that took her mother's life, Jess is sent to live in the remote Canadian wilderness with Carl, the father she barely remembers and then he's murdered.Carl's lessons in living off the grid (no phone, electricity, or running water) and hesitant attempts at connecting with Jess end abruptly when associates from his unsavory past arrive to collect money he doesn't have. Hiding with Carl's dog, Bo, Jess watches her dad ask for more time. Instead, Raph, the leader, shoots Carl. Burying him with the mysterious crate he's safeguarded for them, they burn the cabin and fly off. Only Carl's friend Griff, who flew her in, knows Jess is there, but he won't return for a year. With brains and ingenuity compensating for her physical weakness, Jess finds shelter, makes fire, and feeds and protects herself and Bo. Yet small mistakes, moments of inattention, nearly prove lethal. Raph might return for the crate, and winter's approaching. To obtain ammunition for Carl's rifle, Jess makes a desperate but pivotal decision. Presumably white, as are other characters, Jess is believable, her setbacks realistic, her successes earned. She is on a solitary journeya quest not for treasure but for survivalthat demands all her strength, each day a test of endurance, patience, and hope.A taut, gripping page-turner with a strong female hero to root for. (Thriller. 12-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
