If We Survive

by Andrew Klavan Narrated by Jeremy Johnson

Overview

They came on a mission of mercy. Now they're in a fight for their lives. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Klavan delivers a heart-pounding story of what happens when a seemingly noble adventure that turns into a survival nightmare.

High schooler Will Peterson and three friends journeyed to Central America to help rebuild a school. In a poor, secluded mountain village, they won the hearts of the local people with their energy and kindness.

But in one sudden moment, everything went horribly wrong. A revolution swept the country. Now, guns and terror are everywhere--and Americans are being targeted as the first to die.

Will and his friends have got to get out fast. But streets full of killers . . . hills patrolled by armies . . . and a jungle rife with danger stand between them and the border. Their one hope of escape lies with a veteran warrior who has lost his faith and may betray them at any moment. Their one dream is to reach freedom and safety and home.

If they can just survive.

"[A] gripping story . . . The best part is the narrator, a sort of more hopeful and kindhearted Holden Caulfield, who finds himself in binds that lead him to make tough choices in the heat of the moment." --Publishers Weekly | "Fast-paced with multiple threats, genuine tension and lots of machine guns." --Kirkus | "This gripping novel will hold readers' attention from the opening pages until the end." --School Library Journal

What readers love about If We Survive: high-stakes survival, relentless pacing, coming of age through crisis, moral clarity, and clean but intense storytelling.

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

'Fast-paced with multiple threats, genuine tension and lots of machine guns.

Elizabeth Kahn

'This book will appeal to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced adventure story in which teens must do some fast thinking to survive.

Publishers Weekly

'Klavan turns up the heat for YA fiction...'

From the Publisher

'Fast-paced with multiple threats, genuine tension and lots of machine guns."--Kirkus Reviews

'Klavan turns up the heat for YA fiction...'--Publishers Weekly

'This book will appeal to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced adventure story in which teens must do some fast thinking to survive."--Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA --School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

"We came to Costa Verdes to build a wall. I just wish I could tell you that all of us made it home alive." Members of a church-group mission to rebuild a school in a Central American nation find their flight home delayed by a violent revolution sweeping the countryside. Teenage Everyman Will Peterson narrates a struggle for survival alongside several stock characters (such as a sweet but shallow pretty girl, a well-meaning but out-of-touch youth pastor and an intellectual, professorial America-blaming idealist, Jim). Socialist-sympathizing Jim contrasts with pragmatic former U.S. Marine action hero Palmer. The transparency of Klavan's political agenda is in part mitigated by an increasing focus on the emotional and spiritual lives of the more fleshed-out characters on their journey through jungles and captivity. Will, when he's not trying too hard to be a typical teen so readers can identify with him, is thoughtful and self-possessed. Through a blooming mentor-mentee relationship, he learns the meaning of heroism. Background on the political situation between the rebels and the government (plus history of Cold War CIA involvement) is deployed as necessary, keeping the narration personal and immediate. The resolution suffers from a disappointing lack of denouement, especially considering how far the characters have come. Fast-paced with multiple threats, genuine tension and lots of machine guns. (Adventure. 12-17)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177987507
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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