When the Allred family decides to tackle the Narrows, they soon find out that they are in for more than they bargained for. A light rainfall slowly builds into a raging flash flood, transforming the majestic canyon into a death trap. Caught by the surprise, the Allreds find themselves scrambling for their lives.
In the aftermath of the flood, the stakes rise even higher after they realize that one family member is missing. Searching for the missing family member means traveling through stronger, swifter currents, while avoiding the natural traps and dangers strewn behind in the flood's wake. Unbeknownst to them, it also places them squarely in the path of an even greater danger. Of the nine Allreds that start the hike, how many will finish?
The Narrows Escape, written by Brad Allred, is loosely based on a real life adventure. The author used his own experience in surviving a flash flood in the Narrows to create an authentic adventure of what could have happened by drawing on the real life crisis as well as a fertile imagination.
Although the characters were initially created by drawing on real life counterparts, the readers are cautioned from directly correlating characters to real life individuals - despite perceived similarities in names and descriptions. This is a work of fiction, and the characters have indeed developed "lives of their own." Their thoughts, feelings, and attributes have been altered to meet the needs of the story line. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this hair-raising adventure!
I read A LOT (and because of my profession as a teacher and the fact that I have four young children), juvenile literature is a favorite of mine. I whole-heartedly enjoyed this book and here are some of my specific "likes"...
ReplyDelete~I loved the playful banter between the DTB cousins that showed their differences, yet portrayed the respect they still had for one another.
~I really enjoyed seeing snippets of the real people in the characters even though the author did a good job fabricating what he also needed to for the story (being a family member, I have first-hand insight here). The little idiosyncrasies made me smile since I know and love all these people.
~The description of the Family Reunion...made me want to go to one this year!
~The story was a "page turner" to the very end, yet I was satisfied with the end results. I hate it when a book leaves me wondering or confused...even if there is going to be a sequel, I need closure.
~The language and use of description was exceptional. It wasn't repetitive (I hate it when author's use the same catch phrase over and over) and let my mind create mental pictures.
~I enjoyed how there was more than one story going on at a time...gives me confidence as a reader that the author has faith in my ability to keep track of multiple story lines. Even slipped a little mystery in there!
~I liked how there was one main character (Devin) and that I knew his inner thoughts and could identify with his struggles (proving yourself, sibling rivalry). Yet I got snippets of the other characters and found myself identifying with each of them as well.