Hatchet - Gary Paulson Bradbury Press, 1987: 195 p.

Thirteen year old Brian's plane crashes in the wilderness and he is all alone for 54 days. He learns to make it on his own with only a hatchet and his wits.

Flight 116 is Down - Caroline Cooney Scholastic, 1992: 201 p.

A plane crashes on Heidi's family's property and the teenager helps to rescue the survivors.

Downriver - Will Hobbs Maxwell, 1991: p.204 p.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie and the other rebellious teenage members of a wilderness survival school team abandon their adult leader, hijack his boats, and try to run the dangerous white water at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Basher Five-Two : The True Story of F-16 Fighter Pilot Captain Scott O'Grady - Scott O'Grady, Michael French Bantam, 1997: 144p.

O'Grady, who miraculously survived six days in enemy territory after his F-16 was shot down, tells his amazing story, from his parachute drop and endeavors to evade hostile Bosnian Serbs to sustaining himself by eating ants and drinking water from rain-soaked socks.

Flash Fire - Caroline Cooney Scholastic, 1995: 176 p.

As fire sweeps through a canyon near Los Angeles, teenagers Danna and Hall Press and other children whose parents are not around must work together to save themselves. BACK TO TOP

BOOKS ABOUT EXPLORATION

DO YOU DREAM OF TESTING YOUR LIMITS IN EXOTIC, FAR AWAY PLACES? HERE ARE SOME BOOKS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE THAT FANTASY.

Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer Random House, 1997: 384 p.

In 1996, Jon Krakauer challenged himself by attempting to climb Mt. Everest. In this book he describes the challenge of the deadly cold, brutal winds, and oxygen levels he experienced in the 29,028 mile climb.

Pirate's Son - Geraldine McCaughrean Scholastic, 1998: 294 p.

Tamo White, son of a wealthy and famous pirate of the 18th century, takes orphaned schoolmate Nathan and his prim sister Maud on a fantastical trip to Madagascar where they face everything from cyclones to slavers.

River Runners - James Houston Atheneum, 1979: 142 p.

Two young boys, who have been sent into the Canadian interior to set up a fur-collecting station, are befriended by a Naskapi Indian family.

The Cay - Theodore Taylor Avon, 1995: 144 p.

In April 1942, following the torpedo blast that sinks his Virginia-bound ship, 11-year-old Phillip Enright is left blinded and stranded on a saltwater cay with an initially fearsome West Indian native, Timothy.

The Sacrifice - Diane Matcheck Puffin, 1999: 197 p.

When her father's death leaves her orphaned and an outcast among her Apsaalooka (Crow) people, a fifteen-year-old sets out to avenge his death and prove that she, not her dead twin brother, is destined to be the Great One. BACK TO TOP

FEMALE HEROINES

Sure, anybody can read these books but the main characters are female.

The Talking Earth - Jean Craighead George Harper, 1983: 151 p.

Seminole Billie Wind is sent off to spend a night in the Everglades. The night turns into many weeks and Billie must survive her ordeal alone. When fire sweeps over the island, she takes up refuge in a cave for days. She draws on her knowledge of nature to survive. Will she survive on her own? Will she find her way home?

True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi Mathieson Hyperion, 2001: 212 p.

As the lone "young lady" on a transatlantic voyage in 1832, Charlotte learns that the captain is murderous and the crew may be ready to overthrow him.

A Girl Named Disaster- Farmer Harcourt Brace, 1983: 148 p.

While journeying to Zimbabwe, eleven year old Nhamo struggles to escape drowning and starvation and in so doing comes close to the luminous world of the African spirits.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Steven King Atheneum, 1983: 214 p.

A girl, age 10 or 11, wanders away from her family as they walk through a large forest and she gets lost for several days. She has to deal with being alone,finding food and water, and her own personal fear. She focuses on Tom Gordon, a baseball player she is "madly in love with" to help survive.

Born of the Sun- Gillian Cross Holiday House, 1984: 217 p.

On an expedition in Peru with her archaeologist father, Paula finds that their relationship changes as conditions grow worse. BACK TO TOP

CLASSICS

Classics are classics for a reason -- they've stood the test of time as some of the best books out there.

Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe Doubleday, 1991: 421 p.

Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young man who yearns to escape the mundane world and sets sail for a life of adventure in faraway places. Defying his father's wishes he leaves on board a ship and finds himself marooned on a tropical island.

Lord of the Flies - William Golding HarperCollins, 1959: 208 p.

What happens when a group of boys are stranded on a tropical island? In this case things get savage.

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson Atheneum , 1981: 273 p.

This story of adventure fiction tells about Jim Hawkins the young protagonist who happens upon a treasure map. He then joins up with Dr Livesey who will lead the adventure and the dangerous voyage filled with obstacles, and the evil pirate Long Jon Silver and his crew in search of the buried treasure.

Swiss Family Robinson- Johann David Wyss Yearling, 1999: 325 p.

Wyss's timeless classic is about an industrious Swiss family that miraculously survives shipwreck and builds paradise on an island populated by an impossibly rich array of plants and animals.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne Puffin, 1995: 387 p.

In Jules Verne's classic tale, a mysterious sea creature is terrorizing ships. When they are tossed off of their ship by this beast, three men discover that it is not a beast at all, but a gigantic submarine. As they travel 20,000 leagues down, they uncover the secrets of this strange ship and its captain. BACK TO TOP

SUSPENSE SUPERNATURALHUMOROUS