Praise for Wild River:
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Newbery Honoree Philbrick twines a heartfelt message about teamwork and forgiveness with realistic dangers in this page-turning survival story. A battle for power keeps the tension high, as do plenty of twists and cliffhangers, which create enough uncertainty to keep the pages turning." -Publishers Weekly
"As he did with Wildfire, Newbery Honoree Philbrick has crafted another action tale for young readers that's impossible to put down. Readers will need to strap on their helmets and prepare for a wild ride." -Kirkus Reviews
"Philbrick is a master of the fast-paced easy read adventure story. The simple-seeming story raises moral questions that might get readers pondering big ideas." -Horn Book Magazine
Praise for Wildfire:
* "An intense tale of survival and action. A must-have for all upper elementary/middle grade libraries." -School Library Journal, starred review
* "Short chapters, outstanding cover art, and a breathless pace make this a fine choice for reluctant readers. Outstanding suspense." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Action lovers will relish every word. With Wildfire - reminiscent of Hatchet and the real-life saga Lost on a Mountain in Maine -Philbrick transforms a raging inferno into an impressively plotted escape story full of heart and soul." -BookPage, starred review
Praise for Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina:
* "An appropriately serious and occasionally gruesome tale of surviving Hurricane Katrina, buoyed by large doses of hope and humor." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg:
A Newbery Honor book
"A swashbuckling and humorous tale of adventure." -The Boston Globe
* "A rip-roaring adventure." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A captivating read." -The Horn Book
Praise for Freak the Mighty:
* "A wonderful story... memorable and luminous... somewhat different and very special." -School Library Journal, starred review
2020-11-27
Disaster overtakes a group of sixth graders on a leadership-building white-water rafting trip.
Deep in the Montana wilderness, a dam breaks, and the resultant rush sweeps away both counselors, the rafts, and nearly all the supplies, leaving five disparate preteens stranded in the wilderness far from where they were expected to be. Narrator Daniel is a mild White kid who’s resourceful and good at keeping the peace but given to worrying over his mentally ill father. Deke, also White, is a determined bully, unwilling to work with and relentlessly taunting the others, especially Mia, a Latina, who is a natural leader with a plan. Tony, another White boy, is something of a friendly follower and, unfortunately, attaches himself to Deke while Imani, a reserved African American girl, initially keeps her distance. After the disaster, Deke steals the backpack with the remaining food and runs off with Tony, and the other three resolve to do whatever it takes to get it back, eventually having to confront the dangerous bully. The characters come from a variety of backgrounds but are fairly broadly drawn; still, their breathlessly perilous situation keeps the tale moving briskly forward, with one threatening situation after another believably confronting them. As he did with Wildfire (2019), Newbery Honoree Philbrick has crafted another action tale for young readers that’s impossible to put down.
Readers will need to strap on their helmets and prepare for a wild ride. (Fiction. 10-12)
