Count Me In

by Sara Leach

Overview

Twelve-year-old Tabitha is less than thrilled when her parents send her on a hiking trip with her cousins, Ashley and Cedar, and her Aunt Tess. For one thing, she's not much of a hiker. And she's pretty sure her cousins hate her. But even Ashley can't blame Tabitha for everything that goes wrong: the weather turns ugly, a bear comes into the cabin, Ashley and Tess are injured and Max, the family's beloved dog, disappears. When rescue finally arrives, Tabitha realizes that she is no longer the timid, out-of-shape girl she used to be. She's become strong, resourceful and brave in the face of adversity—no matter what form it takes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459800908
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
File size:	625 KB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sara Leach is a writer and teacher-librarian in Whistler, British Columbia. She loves hiking the nearby alpine trails with her husband and two children. Fortunately, they have never been stranded in any mountain huts, although they have endured many rainy days.

Read an Excerpt

Ashley pushed her on the next large rock and almost knocked her over. As her cousin leaped from rock to rock, Tabitha tried to follow but wasn't as sure of herself, especially on the slippery surfaces of the boulders.

"It's not a race," she said.

Ashley spun around on one foot and said in a sing-song voice, "Is the wittle baby getting tired?"

Before Tabitha could respond, Ashley spun back and jumped for the next rock. As she did, her back foot slipped out from under her. Her body landed flat across two rocks, and her cheek whacked the stone.

Tabitha winced.

Ashley lay still.

Editorial Reviews

"This fish-out-of-water story will appeal to both urban and outdoorsy readers."

Resource Links

"A gripping story for young readers, and it is impressive that, in a short book with accessible language, she has managed to capture suspense, realism, and an empathetic protagonist. The narrative unfolds at a mesmerizing pace, and the plot propels itself forward so that each page turn brings a new twist in the story. Perhaps the most captivating element of Count Me In lies in its realism. Both in the description of the physical landscape and the relationship between Tabitha and each of her family members, Leach has written a novel that is easy to visualize and understand...Count Me In succeeds in every way. It is difficult to write a suspenseful story in clear language for young readers, but Leach has surmounted the obstacle, and the result is a story that is touching and powerful. Young readers (and older story lovers, too) will find this book too good to put down. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine

"Girls will especially like the strong female characters...The author creates believable characters, exciting situations and interesting conflicts."

Tacoma Public School District

Gr 4–6—After having difficulties at school, Tabitha is sent on a hiking trip with her aunt and two cousins to spread her uncle's ashes. The trip gets off to a bad start, as her cousins seem to hate her. When Ashley breaks her jaw while showing off, the group tries to head back down the mountain. The river, however, has risen well above a crossable level and the group finds itself stranded with little food, the tension among the three cousins rising, and a storm that seems to go on forever. To make matters worse, a bear attacks and takes all of the food, and the family's dog, Max, goes missing. At this point, Tabitha's cousins quit speaking to her. Can she survive the storm and their wrath? Will she ever be able to find Max? Will they ever escape? The characters and their motivations are well developed. The plot is simple, but entertaining, and the survival aspects of the story are realistic and suspenseful. Chapter transitions are smooth and easy to follow. Fans, including reluctant readers, of Gary Paulsen, Will Hobbs, and other writers of survival fiction will enjoy this book.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT

School Library Journal

When 12-year-old Tabitha is forced by her parents to go backpacking with her two cousins and recently widowed Aunt Tess, she ends up with more of an adventure than any of them planned.

Both of Tabitha's somewhat older cousins, Cedar and Ashley, are confident, experienced hikers, but nothing can fully prepare them for the series of misadventures that occurs after they climb to a mountaintop hut in British Columbia. Rain falls relentlessly. The dog, Max, wanders off when Tabitha is walking him. Ashley, even after she's badly injured in a careless fall, uses every opportunity to express her hatred—never fully explained—for Tabitha, including deceitfully blaming her for the accident. After their attempt to hike out is thwarted by a flooded river, they begin to have problems with a very persistent bear, leading to many more issues. As the problems mount, Tabitha bravely responds, believably moving from her earlier self-pity to more appropriate responses, even coming to recognize that what she's learning may help her with bullying problems she's been having at school. The setting is well realized, and theauthentic action sustains interest. If some of the dynamics between the characters are insufficiently developed, and a somewhat improbable conclusion seems forced, the suspense helps mitigate the issues.

A tautadventure tale that features plenty of action and some troubled relationships. (Adventure. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews