Fiction Survival Stories

Discovering their newfound tradition and love for camping at the Grand Tetons, The Campground Kids anticipate their next adventure—exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Fourteen-year-old David Alspeth is the owner of a 22-foot sailboat, an inheritance from his uncle Owen, who recently died of cancer. Uncle Owen’s last request before he died was that David should take his ashes out to sea, a job David would give anything to avoid. When he finally sets sail on calm, clear evening, David feels the weight of what he must do all around him. He can’t imagine life without Owen. David completes his task, but on the return trip home he is caught unawares by a freak storm.

Karana, a Ghalas-at Indian, lives peacefully on the island with her tribe until the arrival of a Russian otter-hunting ship. In spite of the deal the Aleutian hunters make with her father, the Ghalas-at chief, in the end they prove treacherous, killing most of the tribe. Karana's younger brother, Ramo, is all that is left of her family. Fearful of the Aleuts' return, the remaining Indians decide to move to another island, and are offered safe passage by some friendly ships. But as Karana boards the ship to leave the island forever, she is unable to find Ramo.

Charlie West was an ordinary high school kid who went to bed one night and woke up in the clutches of terrorists and wanted by the police for murder. He also woke up with no memory of the events of the last year. His memory is returning now and has brought the terrible realization that he knows when the terrorists are going to strike next.

The debut literary thriller that launched the career of the bestselling author of Before the Fall and the creator of the show Fargo. Linus Owen is a young professor of conspiracy theory at a small college just outside San Francisco. His marriage is foundering and his wife, Claudia, has gone to...

Jack, Kate, their parents, and pet cat Bruce Lee the Scar-Faced Ninja Attack Kitty from Japan Who Smells Like Poop went to bed one night like normal. But when they woke up, everything was not normal. They had been pulled into the kid’s favorite video game: Minecraft! Mom and Dad don’t know anything about this strange new world they must learn to survive in.

Nick has always loved camping, but his cousins, Andy and Devin, aren't outdoors guys - they're jocks. Nick isn't even sure why his cousins wanted to go on the camping trip. They don't listen to his warnings about campfires and bears, and they make fun of everything Nick does. When Devin finds himself in real danger, can Nick save him in time?

Inspired by Hobbs’ own journey through the Rio Grande’s canyons near the border with Mexico, Take Me to the River is a thrilling tale. Fourteen-year-old Dylan and his cousin are paddling the Rio Grande when they see six Black Hawk helicopters fly into Mexico. The army won’t say what’s happening, but they do tell the boys a hurricane is approaching. Undeterred, the boys continue their journey, unaware of what lies ahead.

The modern world has vanished, the human race is on the verge of extinction; Mother Nature is firmly back in charge. A desperate band of survivors seeks out a place of possible safety, The Steading, where they hope to carve out a new life. However, simply staying hidden is not enough. It is a battle for survival in a world which is indifferent to their plight. Will mistakes of the past be repeated? Can this remnant of humanity find a different path and save itself?

Listen as Major James King explores the new world on which he mysteriously appears. James has no idea where he is or how he got there. All Major King knows is that this place definitely isn't the command center to which he was supposed to be transported.

Daniel Redmayne is fast asleep on the first night of a white water rafting trip when he's awoken by screams. The dam has failed. The river is surging, and their camp will be under water in a matter of moments. As the shrieking roar of the river rushes closer, the kids scramble to higher ground. They make it; their counselors do not. Now they're on their own, with barely any food or supplies, in the middle of the Montana wilderness. Do Daniel and his four classmates have what it takes to stay alive until they can get rescued?

On Choosing Day, children of Adranna who reach the age of 14 are finally eligible to undergo the tests to determine if they are worthy of bonding a Frostsliver. Only one in a hundred are destined to succeed. If chosen, they will have to climb to the top of the glacier and cut a piece off for themselves, so that they may be granted the powers they've always dreamed of. When Sabira is chosen, an entire world of possibilities opens up to her. But in order to see it through, she'll have to embark on a dangerous pilgrimage to the top of the glacier.

Emily has always excelled at sports, and her athletic abilities have given her confidence on and off the courts. So when she starts to drag during her middle-school volleyball season, she assumes it must be the flu. But after a particularly intense game, she finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, a paramedic telling her that her life will never be the same. Adjusting to life with type 1 diabetes isn’t easy. Emily is desperate to prove that she’s just as strong and capable as ever, so she jumps at the opportunity to go on a backcountry ski trip with her dad.

A year ago, Katie and her cousin Aster survived a night that left their world and easy friendship fractured. Desperate to heal and leave the past behind them, they tackle four days of hiking in the Utah backcountry. But the desert they’ve loved for years has tricks up its sleeve.

High-school senior Riley Ozment is desperate to change her reality after making a fool of herself on social media. She needs to do something drastic to repair her social standing - like trying out for a Survivor-style reality TV show. Suddenly, Riley's dropped onto a deserted tropical island with 19 other teens competing for a million dollars and a rumored treasure lost on the island. But that treasure has a history: A local curse says that seven people need to die before the treasure can be found.

Young Elmer Elevator must use all his resourcefulness and cleverness (along with a little bit of chewing gum) to survive a journey to the mysterious Wild Island, where he aims to rescue an enslaved dragon. Jim Weiss' endless variety of voices depict the crocodiles, warthogs, tigers, monkeys, and other colorful creatures whom Elmer meets along the way.

Entertainment Weekly calls acclaimed author and essayist J. Maarten Troost a "funny, candid, and down-to-earth travel companion". Both witty and poignant, Headhunters on My Doorstep follows Troost as he retraces Robert Louis Stevenson’s path through the South Pacific. Somewhere between AA meetings in Tahiti and discovering how the Island of Merrymaking got its name, Troost reconnects with himself, his family, and the beauty of life.

A curious cat plus a big fall leads to squashed confidence. How this cat bounces back will encourage readers everywhere to try, try again. Eye-catching art and crisp graphic paneling invite even the youngest of children to get back on their feet to explore the city alongside Tiptop Cat.

School Library Journal calls this moving tale by Myron Uhlberg a "remarkable homage to New Orleans". A Storm Called Katrina follows Louis Daniel, a 10-year-old boy from New Orleans’ Ninth Ward who loves to play the horn just like his idol, Louis Armstrong. The morning after the devastating hurricane rips through his neighborhood, Louis - with his beloved cornet in tow - must brave the rising flood waters and seek shelter with his family at the Superdome.

They thought it couldn't get any worse. They were wrong.