How to Lose Yourself Completely by Peter Bognanni - ADVISABLE

How to Lose Yourself Completely by Peter Bognanni, 337 pages. Balzer + Bray (Harper), 2026. $21

Language: R (77 swears, 1 ‘f’); Mature Content:PG-13 (suicide mentioned, crude joke, mentions of drinking, smoking, and of marijuana use) ; Violence: PG ( dead body, another death)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

16yo Case was used to being in his older brother’s shadow. Now that Sean is dead, Case is spiraling out of control. His parents suggest wilderness therapy. Who should also be there? Diana - Sean’s girlfriend and the girl Case can’t forget. When the kids’ guide and counselor disappears, the group is left flailing in the wilderness - nature’s version and within the wilderness of their problems. 

Kind of like an updated, more psychological version of Hobb’s classic Downriver. I was very glad that no one was a murderer, or that the program wasn’t trying to kill the teens, though murder mysteries seem to be where my readers’ attention is right now. The narrative takes us from Case’s present day and back before Sean’s death and his downward spiral.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Drowning Game by Dusti Bowling - OPTIONAL

The Drowning Game by Dusti Bowling, 288 pages. Union Square, October 2026 $19

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (kissing; girls stop Christian from taking it further, teen alcohol use); Violence: PG13 (drownings off-page, description of dead body, talk of forensics, self harm, description of murder)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

It's the end of Christian's summer before his senior year, and his best friend James, invites him to come back to Arizona for a river rafting trip. When he gets there, he finds James has two other friends and a girlfriend there. Christian does not approve of the amount of alcohol the boys are consuming, and he gets on the river despite James "forgetting" to bring life jackets. When the inevitable happens, and Freya - the girlfriend drowns, the police rule it an accident and Christian returns to Minnesota. But he can't get Freya out of his mind, and the drowning becomes an obsession.

Usually Bowling's books are middle school appropriate; this one is solidly YA even though the content is mild (no swearing, no sex other than kissing) but James is a bad dude, and Christian is messed up by all of this and is making some really bad choices. About midway through the book, I didn't even like Christian anymore. The twists were unexpected, and the suspense was maintained, so it's a good mystery. I prefer her books for the younger readers, I guess. 

Christian is white.

Lisa Librarian 

Wild Blizzard by Rodman Philbrick - ADVISABLE

Wild Blizzard by Rodman Philbrick, 192 pages. Scholastic, OCTOBER 2026. $19

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

6th grader Jack and his Science Fair teammates are on their way home when a ferocious blizzard kicks up, breaks their bus, and injures their teacher. The resourceful kids do what they can to help their teacher and keep the whole group warm, but one of them needs to go for help - and Jack is that one.  As he steps out into the continuing storm, he will need a lot of courage, and some help from an unexpected dog friend, to keep one foot going in front of the other. The five miles to help might as well be 500 miles. 

I think Philbrick really hits depth in his novels when two characters are working together - rather than one facing impossible odds alone. Lots of great danger and Jack has to think and work hard to keep himself alive. I’m glad we are still getting adventure stories. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen - ESSENTIAL

Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen, 313 pages. Knopf (Random), 2026. $18

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (drowning victim mentioned, blood)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Sadie’s little brother, 9yo Silas, convinced her to enter the contest for the adventure with 13yo survivalist and influencer Radley, but she did not expect to actually win. Meeting Radley in person, Callie is not impressed; he seems to be in it for the money, not because he loves the outdoors. On their river rafting trip, a sudden earthquake breaks the dam above their position, sending their guide overboard and now the pair must negotiate their situation alone, with only what they are carrying. 

Brorsen did such a great job of engaging my attention and keeping me invested.  I read in one sitting! Well done in showing the highlights and lowlights of being an influencer right now. The action can be intense as the teens are in very real danger several times!

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer, - ADVISABLE

Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer,  320 pages. Levine Querido, 2024. $19. 

Language: PG (5 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (reference to sex) Violence: PG (hunting violence, bullying, fighting, bear attack with expected injuries) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

15yo Ezra is living in Minnesota with his dad when an altercation between Matt Schroeder and Nora, a girl Ezra likes, causes him to injure his hand defending her. That evening Matt's home catches fire, and Ezra is blamed. Although he knows he's innocent, Ezra's dad sends him to the reservation in Canada to spend the rest of the winter running traplines with his Ojibwa grandfather. 

I thought this was going to be a murder mystery. Although the whodunit was always there, it was more a premise to get Ezra into the wilderness with his grandfather to learn the Ojibwa ways of hunting, setting traps, and caring about nature. Gently told, the hunting violence was mild. I loved witnessing Ezra's ceremonies. While certainly written for the indigenous teen, the story is universal and could be enjoyed by readers of any culture. Most of the characters are Ojibwe. 

Lisa Librarian 

Some of Us are Brave by Saadia Faruqi - ADVISABLE

Some of Us are Brave by Saadia Faruqi, 324 pages. Quill Tree (Harper), 2026. $20

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (bullying by parent)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

12yo Mona has to care for her little brother while their parents are away on yet another conference trip. 12yo Yasir doesn’t have money to go to soccer camp this year, but if he coaches the littles, he can attend camp as payment - even if that means playing with 12yo Cody, who bullies Yasir. Cody, meanwhile, goes through life with a huge chip on his shoulder because his father bullies him and is constantly telling him to “man up”. When Hurricane Harvey hits land and causes major flooding in Houston, all four kids are caught and must figure out how to work together to survive. And maybe learn some great lessons about what being a friend means and how to speak up for themselves.

Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017, but this isn’t about the history of the hurricane - it is definitely a vehicle for a diverse trio of kids to learn about each other and that they can be friends. Both Cody and Mona’s lives make the biggest changes - Mona learning to find her voice with her parents who have given a young girl way too much responsibility, and Cody recognizes that his father’s viewpoints are based on hateful opinions, not facts and that Cody does not have to act the same way.

Yasir and Mona are from the Middle East.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival by Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete - ESSENTIAL

Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival by Trina Rathgeber, illustrated by Alina Pete. 91 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL, NON-FICTION Memoir Orca, 2024 $20 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, illustrations of frostbite, talk of amputation) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL MS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

13yo Ilse was checking traplines in 1940's Canada with her brothers when a storm came upon them. Her dogs were younger and less experienced, and in the storm, they were separated. Ilse was alone on the tundra with no provisions, no supplies, and no idea which way was home. But Ilse was smart, her father and brothers had taught her how to survive. 

A gripping graphic novel true story! Written by Ilse's granddaughter, her story had been part of Farley Mowat's People of the Deer, but Rathgeber knew her grandmother would rather tell her own story. I loved how she was set up as a guest speaker in a classroom, telling the true story of the fictionalized account they had just read. I was on the edge of my seat. I loved the illustrations and the info boxes which popped up occasionally to fill the reader in. Its length would be better suited for an elementary library, but the content is perfect for middle school. Ilse and her family are Cree and of German descent from her father. 

Lisa Librarian 

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang - ADVISABLE

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang, 320 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL First Second (Macmillan), 2024. $18. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (animal attack, injured dog, some illustrations depicting blood) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

15yo Ash has recently come out as non-binary and changed their name. They feel like no one listens to them, that their parents try to be supportive but don't really understand. At school, Ash tries to make a difference - they are really concerned about the environment, but they aren't even allowed to post signs indicating where students should put their recycling. Learning that their family is planning a Disney vacation for the summer, instead of their usual trip to their grandfather's farm because their Uncle plans to sell it, Ash is desperate for one last visit. There's family lore that Grandfather built a secret cabin in the wilderness there, and Ash plans to find it and run away forever. 

Jen Wang's storytelling is so well done. Not in a traditional panel format, much of the story is Ash relating their experience as if in a journal with marvelous full color illustrations throughout. Funny to come across this as I recently read Brian's Winter and My Side of the Mountain. Ash's story is a great modern version of a child surviving alone in the wilderness. I love that Ash prepared well, watching online videos and reading blogs, as well as going to the library and bringing reference books with them as part of their survival kit. I would certainly recommend Ash's Cabin to both readers looking for an adventure, as well as Jen Wang's LGBTQIA fanbase. I believe Ash is non-binary as well as being a descendant of Chinese immigrants. 

Lisa Librarian 

Magnitude by Jennifer A. Nielsen - ESSENTIAL

Magnitude by Jennifer A. Nielsen, 304 pages. Scholastic, MARCH 2026. $19

Content: PG (deaths, dead bodies mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Oliver and Cora’s families had been friends for years, but a serious argument between the fathers ended that for good. On the morning of April 18, 1906, Cora is on her way to the docks again, hoping that today her father will return and save their family from destitution. When an earthquake hits, Cora and a Chinese girl are swallowed by the earth - and are rescued by Oliver. Now all three are trying to stay safe and search for their families, desperately hoping they are safe. Plus Cora has to stay off the radar of some local thugs who are trying to extort money from her.

Nielsen’s latest story is less about the earthquake and more about the girls trying to survive in circumstances that are aggravated by the quake. I liked that I learned things about the earthquake that I hadn’t read in other novels. Nielsen includes plenty of action and danger. Students who have read Nielsen’s other historical fiction won’t be disappointed.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner - ESSENTIAL

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner, 368 pages. Bloomsbury, 2025 $18.00 Language: PG (1 swear, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (injuries, animal attack)

BUYING ADVISORY:, EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY 

13yo Finn is in big trouble. He kicked over a large headstone in the cemetery, and it was caught on security cameras. The grave belonged to a woman who was a celebrated mountain climber. Her daughter wants to honor her mother's memory by dropping the charges if Finn will climb all 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks over the course of the summer, and bring along the old woman's dog. 

The Trouble with Heroes is a special book. Written in verse in Finn's voice - he's also doing makeup work for both PE and ELA - we see an angry, grieving boy trying to come to terms with the loss of his father. I loved the connections he made and the how the mountains touched him. I was crying within the first several pages, and also crying again by the end! There was so much to love in between, and I'm going to try some of those cookie recipes. Finn is white 

Lisa Librarian  

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose - ADVISABLE

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose, 228 pages. NOVEL IN VERSE. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin), 2025. $18. 

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Opal has lived with her Gran and her mom in a firetower in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico all of her life - she is the fourth generation of female firewatchers in her family. But four years ago all three women almost died when a wildfire swept to the tower and since that day, Opal has been hiding her fear of fire. Then Mom is stuck in town after rain washes out the trail when she is in town loading up on supplies. Then Gran is missing. Then Opal spots that tell-tale wisp of smoke. Opal has only herself to rely on and she must get close to the fire in order to contain it until the firejumpers can arrive to help.

I am so disappointed that Opal only rates a novel in verse.  No literary devices used here.  But the story is swift and interesting. Opal is white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Into the Rapids by Ann Braden - ESSENTIAL

Into the Rapids by Ann Braden, 165 pages. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin), 2025. $18. 

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

On the day that her family signed the papers for their new house, Addy’s Dad died in the river.  Since that day, 12yo Addy and her mom have kept to themselves, staying apart from their mountain community; Mom’s grief has been too much to bear and she has only slowly learned coping skills.  Now a new monster storm has come and swept away the bridge. As Addy tries to get her mom the help she needs, she keeps running into Caleb, their nearest neighbor, intruding on her space.  But Addy is slowly realizing that her neighbors are kind and welcoming. With the help of Caleb Addy may even be able to make it to her wilderness camp program that she has been looking forward to all her life - even if it means braving the river.

I love that Addy is not dealing with anxiety - it is her mother instead, but Mom is not catatonic, just withdrawn and protective. Caleb is a great side character - steady and welcoming.  Includes a nice nod to Hatchet and Brian’s Winter. Addy is white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad and Brendan Kiely - ADVISABLE

Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad and Brendan Kiely, 272 pages. MEMOIR. Farrar Straus Giroux, OCTOBER 2025. $20

Language: PG (9 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG (mention of abusive stepfather); Violence: PG (3 deaths of plane crash, blood mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

11yo Norman is anxious to get back to Big Bear to accept his award for the ski championship. Their small private plane takes him, his dad, and Dad’s girlfriend from Malibu, but when they hit bad weather, the plane goes down, killing the pilot and Norman’s dad.  Norman will have to rely on himself to perhaps get himself and Sandra off the mountain.

I think kids will love Norman’s true life survival adventure. Norman recounts all of the ways his dad forced him into dangerous situations in all kinds of outdoor adventures, such as surfing or skiing during storms. As an adult, I think Norman’s father was a daredevil fool who could have lost his parental rights for child endangerment in the present day. I do like the afterword where Norman confronts his dangerous, spiraling behavior before he completely crashes out of life. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Take by Jennifer Bradbury - ADVISABLE

Take by Jennifer Bradbury, 261 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2023. $20

Language: PG-13 (47 swears, 0 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG (kiss); Violence: PG (injury)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Cara has just graduated from high school and is getting ready to take a gap year rock climbing in Patagonia. Her mother wishes she would head to college, but Cara is drawn to adventure. Her friends are moving on and her boyfriend broke up with her over text. She is ready to be somewhere else. Cara has not spoken to her father in a long time, but when she learns he is missing, she decides to try to track him down. The clues center around a legendary rock climber and lead her to a decades-old family mystery. Needing help, she reaches out to her ex, Nat, and together they head into the Cascade Mountains and to a dangerous climb hoping to find and save Cara's dad.

Take has adventure, mystery, tough family dynamics, and a little romance. As a bonus, I learned some things about rock climbing. The book also explores how children deal with parents who have mental health issues. I liked the dual timelines of Cara in the present day and Becks and Ru at the beginning of WWII. The Becks and Ru story brings the CCC and Japanese internment into the story. This is a great book. I recommend it.

Cara, Nat and Becks are perceived white. Ru has Japanese heritage.

Reviewer: A. Snow, Librarian

Wild Wave by Rodman Philbrick - ESSENTIAL

Wild Wave by Rodman Philbrick, 194 pages. Scholastic, 2024. $19. 9781338882315

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

APPEALS TO: MANY

Middle schooler Nick is at the local nature preserve working on a final assignment before school lets out for the summer when first an earthquake and then a tsunami hits. Running into the nearby forest, Nick barely survives, along with Jess, a popular girl from his school who gives tours at the refuge. Through all the chaos, the debris, the danger of forest, the two are hoping they can find a way out.  Things become even more desperate when they find a boat that has been flung into the trees with their science teacher and her husband aboard.  If their teacher doesn’t get her medication, her life will become very dire indeed.

Philbrick just gets better and better at weaving his disaster/survival stories. He keeps the tension high, without resorting to gimmicks and tricks. Hatchet is still popular in middle school and the length is perfect for any reader.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet - OPTIONAL

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet, 256 pages. Candlewick, 2024. $19. 

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

Three cousins 12yo Owen, 11yo Vivian, and 8yo Amy are on a camping trip with their parents.  The one night they are allowed to camp alone, an earthquake strikes and they are cut-off from the parents’ campsite.  The trio will have to go the long way around, confronting danger in the forest, but also the emotional baggage they are each dealing with from personal traumas.

Nesbet tries to do too much here.  Besides having the danger from 3 pre-teens being alone in the wilderness, she injects a magical realism through the kids’ personal stories - it would have been enough to have one of them with emotional turmoil - all 3 is overload. I was distracted and then bored.

All of the characters are white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Hum by William David Thomas - ADVISABLE

Hum by William David Thomas, 199 pages. Charlesbridge, 2024. $18. 9781732213722

Content: G (danger, mild violence)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE; MS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

11yo Allen’s nightmares have been occurring more frequently. In order to help him, his grandmother, who has been his guardian since  both of Allen’s parents died when he was six, decides they should move back to her hometown - hoping that Allen will be able to make some human connections. In that village, Allen finds Zach and Birdie, two new friends at school and an eccentric, but kind mentor in Max, a senior. Unfortunately, he also draws the ire of the town bully, who is not hesitant to punch when he is annoyed. When Allen goes to a local fair and meets a llama, memories come flooding back and Allen is sent immediately on a desperate flight into the high mountains to save the llama, whom he seems to remember from his early childhood, and to escape the bully and his brute of a father who are out for blood.

I know that any adult reading this will love it. The cover doesn’t reflect the anger and danger within the pages, so perhaps add this to a display of survival books to draw attention.  I would highly recommend reading it aloud to a class. The main character is a little young for some middle schools. The main characters cue white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

15 Secrets to Survival by Natalie D. Richards - OPTIONAL

15 Secrets to Survival by Natalie D. Richards, 376 pages. Delacorte (Random House), 2023. $18.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Peril, injuries) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

12yo Baxter, Turner, Abigail and Emerson have known each other since pre-school. Their parents are friends, but they are not - more like frenemies. So when the group starts arguing with each other and saying mean things on a group chat during a school competition, they are disqualified and given an alternate assignment. As a team building activity, the children are delivered to Baxter's great Uncle Hornsby - a survivalist - in the mountains of northern Montana (and it's December). But what they think is survival training turns into life and death as Uncle Hornby disappears and the kids find themselves alone in the wilderness. 

Wow, so much peril - winter, snow storms, collapsing shed, frozen rivers, an avalanche, dangerous wildlife, oh, and they have an 18 month old little sister with them. It felt like a bit much for the 2 days? they were together. Uncle Hornsby is portrayed as super elderly - so many wrinkles - and I puzzle at the wisdom of the parents just dropping the kids off and heading to Aruba. All in all, exciting, as the action never stops - they go from one dangerous situation right into the next, I'm not sure some of them might have permanent injuries. A bit long for middle grade, nearly 400 pages. The author gives us hair colors, but races are not defined, so the characters default white. 

Lisa Librarian 

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins - OPTIONAL

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins, 240 pages. Dutton Books for Young Readers (Penguin), 2021. $10

Language: R (104 swears, 30 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (implied self-pleasuring); Violence: R (bloody shootings and murder, implied rape and murder, kidnapping)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

18yo Josie and 18yo Neena are going on a hiking trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Trail. They want to make this last trip together before they head different directions when college starts. The two best friends start off excited about the hike until they become unsure of the trail. When Josie falls in a sinkhole and Neena leaves to get help, they’re both visited by men that may or may not want to help them. Their friendship, determination and perseverance are put to the test and they have to rely on their intuition to get back home.

I enjoyed reading about the description of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I like how the strength of friendship is portrayed. A creepy thriller that gave me chills. The ethnicity falls to white but includes East Asian hikers, Josie is white and Neena is Indian American.

 LynnDell Watson, Delta High School Librarian

Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano - ESSENTIAL

Global: One fragile world. An epic fight for survival by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano, 144 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Sourcebooks. 2023. $15 

Language: G (no swears) Mature Content: G Violence: PG (life-threatening situations with nature) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: MANY

14yo Yuki lives in Northern Canada, and 12yo Sami lives in the Bay of Bengal. Warming temperatures are causing problems for both of them. For Yuki, the ice is melting, leaving less food for Polar bears, who are venturing closer and closer to town. Sami and his grandfather are fishermen, but the ocean is rising each day and they bring back fewer and fewer fish, making it hard to survive. 

The art work is fabulous and the storylines are compelling. I looked up grolars, which is a cross between a polar bear and a brown bear. Apparently, there really are such things, so I learned something new. I liked how the story shifted between the two narratives, and how Sami and Yuki faced their problems. The authors manage to make you care about global warming by giving it a human face, but not hitting you over the head with it in a preachy manner. The action scenes should be able to pull in even reluctant readers. Yuki and Sami's cultures are indigenous to their areas and seem well-represented. 

Michelle in the Middle