Lost! (Survivor Diaries) by Terry Lynn Johnson - ADVISABLE

Lost! (Survivor Diaries) by Terry Lynn Johnson, 104 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $10. 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE.

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Carter is on a bird watching vacation with his parents in Costa Rica when he and a new friend, Anna, explore a trail to a waterfall only to be frightened off the path and lose their way entirely. Carter has anxiety and has come to Costa Rica prepared with lots of information and a survival tool kit and Anna is prepared with a sense of calm and adventure. Together they spend one night and two days surviving in the rainforest. 

I think this book will do a great job at hooking reluctant readers. A lot happens quickly in the book and the fast pace will appeal to many emergent readers. There are about ten black and white illustrations that, while not especially well done, will give reading clues to these new readers. There is nothing literary or particularly noteworthy about the book other than its ability to reach a new population of readers. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher