Book picks similar to
Lost in the Desert of Dread by Tracey Turner
survival
desert
fiction
classroom-5th-6th
Last Star Burning
Caitlin Sangster - 2017
That’s the penalty for being the daughter of the woman who betrayed their entire nation.Now her mother’s body is displayed above Traitor’s Arch, kept in a paralyzed half sleep by the same plague that destroyed the rest of the world. And as further punishment, Sev is forced to do hard labor to prove that she’s more valuable alive than dead.When the government blames Sev for a horrific bombing, she must escape the city or face the chopping block. Unimaginable dangers lurk outside the city walls, and Sev’s only hope of survival lies with the most unlikely person—Howl, the chairman’s son. Though he promises to lead her to safety, Howl has secrets, and Sev can’t help but wonder if he knows more about her past—and her mother’s crimes—than he lets on.But in a hostile world, trust is a luxury. Even when Sev’s life and the lives of everyone she loves may hang in the balance.
Stone Fox
John Reynolds Gardiner - 1980
When Grandfather falls ill, he is no longer able to work the farm, which is in danger of foreclosure. Little Willy is determined to win the National Dogsled Race—the prize money would save the farm and his grandfather. But he isn't the only one who desperately wants to win. Willy and his brave dog Searchlight must face off against experienced racers, including a Native American man named Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.Exciting and heartwarming, this novel has sold millions of copies and was named a New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.
A Nearer Moon
Melanie Crowder - 2015
All her life she has heard tales of the time before the dam appeared, when sprites danced in the currents and no one got the mysterious wasting illness from a mouthful of river water. These are just stories, though—no sensible person would believe in such things.Beneath the waves is someone who might disagree. Perdita is a young water sprite, delighting in the wet splash and sparkle, and sad about the day her people will finally finish building their door to another world, in search of a place that humans have not yet discovered.But when Luna’s little sister falls ill with the river sickness, everyone knows she has only three weeks to live. Luna is determined to find a cure for her beloved sister, no matter what it takes. Even if that means believing in magic. . . .
Call It Courage
Armstrong Sperry - 1940
It had taken his mother when he was a baby, and it seemed to him that the sea gods sought vengeance at having been cheated of Mafatu. So, though he was the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a race of Polynesians who worshipped courage, and he was named Stout Heart, he feared and avoided tha sea, till everyone branded him a coward. When he could no longer bear their taunts and jibes, he determined to conquer that fear or be conquered—so he went off in his canoe, alone except for his little dog and pet albatross. A storm gave him his first challenge. Then days on a desert island found him resourceful beyond his own expectation. This is the story of how his courage grew and how he finally returned home. This is a legend. It happened many years ago, but even today the people of Hikueru sing this story and tell it over their evening fires.
I Don't Believe It, Archie!
Andrew Norriss - 2011
Some very odd things. On Monday, a piano rolls down the hill and traps his new friend Cyd in her mum's car. And then a truck tips a load of gravel on top of it. But don't worry—she's ok. Actually, Cyd finds it exciting though of course, she doesn't believe that this sort of thing happens to Archie every day—until they find themselves trapped in a house with a sedated lion trainer, and a very awake lion. Poor Archie! But as he soon discovers, if odd things have to happen to him, it's a lot better if they happen when Cyd's around. Join Archie and Cyd for a whole week's worth of completely surprising and outrageously funny escapades.
Fearless
Elvira Woodruff - 2007
For if Digory has been orphaned, he can never go home again. On his journey, Digory becomes the apprentice to Henry Winstanly, whose life's obsession is to save sailors' lives. Digory must face his fears of the sea to help Henry bring candles to the lighthouse he's built on a killer reef. But who could have known the force of a monster storm heading their way? In this poignant page-turner, Digory comes to understand the many facets of courage -- and what it means to be a true hero.
The Bear and the Piano
David Litchfield - 2015
As time passes, he teaches himself how to play the strange instrument, and eventually the beautiful sounds are heard by a father and son who are picnicking in the woods. The bear goes with them on an incredible journey to New York, where his piano playing makes him a huge star. He has fame, fortune and all the music in the world, but he misses the friends and family he has left behind. A moving tale of exploration and belonging from an exciting debut author-illustrator.
Fuzzy
Tom Angleberger - 2016
Little do they know that surviving sixth grade is going to become a true matter of life and death, because Vanguard has an evil presence at its heart: a digital student evaluation system named BARBARA that might be taking its mission to shape the perfect student to extremes!
The Memory of an Elephant
Alex Lasker - 2021
Interwoven with his narrative are the tumultuous lives of the family who raised and then lost him: a famed hunting guide and his wife, who runs an animal orphanage (a conflict that in time upends their marriage); their son and daughter; and the young Kikuyu who finds the orphaned elephant and becomes part of the Hathaway family. This timeless story is alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking, spanning east Africa, Great Britain and New York from 1962 to 2015.
Luna
Garon Whited - 2007
It's not as bad as we thought. From the very first line, "Luna" grabs the reader. Where most books start with a world in trouble and ride the story on into a happy ending or to the ultimate destruction, "Luna" starts with the end of the world. Things can only get better, right? With the world destroyed, the story centers on six survivors in the first lunar shuttle, on their way to shake down and tune up a robot-built underground tunnel complex on the Moon. They have to face a number of issues, not the least of which is the self-destruction of their homeworld and the survival of the species. Fortunately, any culture advanced enough to have a lunar colony and the capability to destroy its own civilization is likely to have people who are not on the planet at any given time. From these few survivors, the human race will have to either survive and grow, or wither away into nothing. They have to face many difficulties, ranging from purely scientific ones such as genetics, mechanics, chemistry, and nutrition, to the more complex difficulties of human nature, such as love, sex, and loneliness. The conflict between politics and military command also rears its ugly head, with uncertain results, aside from the obvious: War. Told from the point of view of Max, the officer in charge of the mechanical aspects of the lunar base, "Luna" takes us on a fast-paced tour of our own Moon, the LaGrange points, a number of habitable satellites, as well as the light and dark places in the human soul. Any science fiction reader will delight in the near-future possibilities of lunar colonization, along with the superb character development, snappy dialogue, and the dry humor that are so characteristic of Garon Whited's work.A gripping page-turner, Whited's "Luna" is more than a little reminiscent of Robert Heinlein, mixed with a dash of E.E. "Doc" Smith, and stirred with a sardonic sense of humor uniquely his own. Fans of Garon Whited's "Nightlord: Sunset" will want to add this one to the collection!
Playing by the Rules
Rosa Temple - 2017
Well, not literally, but it felt like my life was over. Melodramatic? Me? Just a teensy bit…When workshy socialite Magenta Bright learns that inheritance comes with one horrific condition, she mentally kisses goodbye to the money. Get a job and keep it for a year? Not likely.Naïve CEO Anthony Shearman is persuaded to hire her as his PA, and Magenta decides to stick it out, if only because of her sexy boss. But between the bitchy receptionist, Anthony’s beautiful fiancée and not having a clue how to be a career girl, Magenta barely makes it to the end of her first day.So, just 364 to go then…
Tom Clancy's The Division: New York Collapse : A Survival Guide to Urban Disaster
Alexander C. Irvine - 2016
Within this discarded survivalist field guide, written before the collapse, lies a mystery—a handwritten account of a woman struggling to discover why New York City fell. The keys to unlocking the survivor's full story are hidden within seven removable artifacts, ranging from a full-city map to a used transit card. Retrace her steps through a destroyed urban landscape and decipher her clues to reveal the key secrets at the heart of this highly anticipated game.
The Friendship Code
Stacia Deutsch - 2017
Finally, an after school activity that she's really interested in. But Lucy's excitement turns to disappointment when she's put into a work group with girls she barely knows. All she wanted to do was make an app that she believes will help someone very special to her.Suddenly, Lucy begins to get cryptic coding messages and needs some help translating them. She soon discovers that coding - and friendship - takes time, dedication, and some laughs!
The Way of Women
Lauraine Snelling - 2004
St. Helens’ historic eruption, three women must face the mountain: two to search for their missing husbands; the third, to rediscover her life…After a local mountain becomes a deadly and imminent threat, three strikingly different women become linked in a desperate mission. Children’s author Katherine Sommers is searching for her depressed husband, David, and their son Brian, camping together on Mt. St. Helens’ tumultuous north slope. Mellie Sedor seeks her husband, Daniel, who has taken a logging job to pay for their daughter’s chemotherapy. Fashion photographer Jen Stockton joins Cowlitz County Sheriff Frank McKenzie, himself the victim of a brutal loss, in his quest to evacuate the awakening volcano.Jen came to the mountain in an effort to recover the peace she experienced as a child. Instead, she finds destruction and heroism, tragedy and friendship. When Women Strive Together, They Can Face Even the Unthinkable. Written by best-selling and award-winning author Lauraine Snelling, The Way of Women celebrates the resilience and strength of women, both individually and collectively, in the face of extraordinary crisis.