Sugar Crash

by Melinda Di Lorenzo

Overview

Q: If you were stranded on a deserted island, how would you survive?

A: I wouldn’t. 

Zoe Harmon doesn’t remember what life was like before she had type one diabetes. Her insulin pump feels like a body part now—just one she has to think about a little more than she thinks about her kidneys or her liver. Yeah, it’s annoying sometimes, but it sure beats being dead. When she begrudgingly accepts a ride to a school camp from her former best friend, Vic Niels, a crash sends them flying off a remote mountain road. Stranded without her phone or insulin, Zoe is forced to team up with Vic in order to save her own life. And his. Twenty-four hours stuck with Vic? Fine. But twenty-four hours without insulin? This could get deadly.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459840249
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	08/19/2025
Series:	Orca Soundings Series
Edition description:	High readability edition
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.33(d)
Lexile:	HL500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Melinda Di Lorenzo has been writing professionally for more than a decade and is the author of Counting Scars, Racing Hearts and Normal Kids in the Orca Soundings line. She is the bestselling author of more than 30 books. Melinda lives in the lower mainland in BC, where she finds plenty of inspiration.

Editorial Reviews

With compact, plot-driven chapters and realistic teen dialogue geared toward reluctant readers, this thrilling survival story has Zoe facing one calamity after another. As someone living with Type 1 diabetes, Di Lorenzo lends an authentic voice, providing ample information about navigating an invisible disability while also tackling topics such as mixed feelings over the loss of friendship and the rekindling of romantic feelings. A highly engaging, nail-biting adventure with much-needed representation and a touch of romance.”

Kirkus Reviews

A broad spectrum of plots to be sure! There is a story for almost any taste in this varied selection.

School Library Journal (SLJ)

2025-05-30
Stranded on a mountainside, a teen who has Type 1 diabetes must find a way to work with her former best friend to survive.

Seventeen-year-old Zoe Harmon missed the bus for her overnight senior class field trip because of an episode of low blood sugar. Knowing that her graduation will be in jeopardy if she can’t write the required essay about the experience for English class, where she’s already struggling, Zoe does the unthinkable—she asks her nemesis, Vic Niels, for a ride. What was supposed to be a shortcut to the camp turns disastrous when Vic’s car careens off a mountain road and into a tree in the middle of a surprise snowstorm. A battered Zoe locates Vic, who’s in bad shape, too—and the realization that she’s in serious trouble sets in as she discovers that the backpack containing everything she needs to manage her diabetes is missing. Now the teens must overcome their animosity and work together. With compact, plot-driven chapters and realistic teen dialogue geared toward reluctant readers, this thrilling survival story has Zoe facing one calamity after another. As someone living with Type 1 diabetes, Di Lorenzo lends an authentic voice, providing ample information about navigating an invisible disability while also tackling topics such as mixed feelings over the loss of friendship and the rekindling of romantic feelings. Both protagonists present white.

A highly engaging, nail-biting adventure with much-needed representation and a touch of romance. (diabetes resource)(Adventure. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews