Discover Trails of Survival: survival fiction for teens at the Bettendorf Public Library
compiled May, 2004

The Kindling by Jennifer Armstrong
YA SF ARMS
When all the grown-ups die in an apocalypse, a handful of young survivors make the trek to Washington, D.C., and discover the dark secret at the heart of the Fire-us.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
YA SF BUTL
A young woman tracks community destruction and religious rebirth in the 21st century.

The Shark Callers by Eric Campbell
YA F CAMP
Two teenage boys, one on a shark hunt and the other traveling with his family, face the challenge of their lives when a volcano erupts causing a massive tidal wave in the South Seas.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Alden Carter
YA F CART
Although neither fifteen-year-old Mark Severson nor his diabetic cousin Randy are looking forward to the canoe trip that is a family rite of passage, they begin to enjoy themselves as they make their way through Minnesota's lake country, until the trip becomes a fight for survival.

When Eagles Fall by Mary Casanova
YA F CASA
Still coping with her brother's death and her parents' subsequent divorce, thirteen-year-old Alex finds herself stranded on a small, deserted island in Minnesota with an injured eaglet.

Overboard by Elizabeth Fama
YA F FAMA
Escaping from a sinking ferry in the waters off Sumatra, fourteen-year-old Emily fights for survival for herself and a young Indonesian boy, who draws courage from his quiet but firm Islamic faith.

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
YA F FARM, TC F FARM
Nhamo is fleeing her village and a forced marriage to a cruel man. If she can get to Zimbabwe, she may be able to find her father's family. But Nhamo has never travelled alone, much less very far from home, or by water. Can the spirits of her mother and the former owner of her boat help her to survive?

Paradise by Joan Goodman
YA F GOOD
In 1542 the young Marguerite, her maid, and her young love are marooned on the tiny wild Isle of Demons. This gripping novel of adventure, courage, hardship, love, and survival is based on the true-life heroine Marguerite de La Rocque.

Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs
YA F HOBB
On the last night of an Alaskan sea kayaking trip, Andy goes on a secret solo mission. He is determined to visit the spot where his father died. A storm steers Andy's kayak way off his destination, and he must try to survive his new plight.

The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence
YA F LAWR
Shipwrecked after a vicious storm, fourteen-year-old John Spencer attempts to save his father and himself while also dealing with an evil secret about the English coastal town where they are stranded.

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
YA F MARS
Seven Australian teenagers return from a camping trip in the bush to discover that their country has been invaded and they must hide to stay alive. First of a series of seven.

Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen
YA F MIKA
In 1981, after witnessing the murder of all but one of his family members and his neighbors too, Santiago and his sister Angelina flee their hometown. The two head out in hopes of leaving Guatemala for freedom in the United States.

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
YA F MIKA, TC F MIKA
After a string of run-ins with the law, Cole has reached his last chance after beating Peter Driscal senseless. Cole's last chance is Circle Justice, a system based on Native American traditions that tries to provide healing for Cole and Peter. But Cole is having problems learning how to deal with his anger. And until he learns that, he can't heal himself or Peter.

Climb Or Die by Edward Myers
YA F MYER
After a car accident in a snowy Colorado pass seriously injures their parents, athletic fourteen-year-old Danielle and her brainy younger brother Jake must scale a mountain to find help.

Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen
YA F PAUL, TC F PAUL
After having survived alone in the wilderness, Brian finds that he can no longer live in the city but must return to the place where he really belongs.

White Water by P.J. Petersen
YA F PETE
Greg confronts his own fears and assumes a leadership role when his father is bitten by a rattlesnake during a white-water rafting trip.

Thunder Cave by Roland Smith
YA F SMIT
Determined, after his mother's accidental death, to foil his stepfather's plans for his future, fourteen-year-old Jacob travels alone to Africa in search of his father, a biologist studying elephants in a remote area of Kenya.

Terry and the Pirates by Julian F. Thompson
YA F THOM
When sixteen-year-old Terry Talley stows away on a yacht, she doesn't expect to encounter another runaway and end up shipwrecked on a tiny island with a bunch of oddball pirates who are looking for some buried treasure.

Out of the Wilderness by Deb Vanasse
YA F VANA
Josh tries to endure living in the Alaskan wilderness with his father and half-brother Nathan, but Nathan's uncompromising reverence for nature and its wild creatures causes difficulties that reinforce Josh's determination to return to city life.

Memory Boy by Will Weaver
YA F WEAV
The world is plunged into an environmental and social disaster after the Cascade Mountains erupt in a series of volcanic destruction. The cities aren't safe anymore so Miles and his family try to escape to their lake cabin.