OFF THE MAP

Former best friends forced to share a canoe find themselves lost in the Alaskan wilderness.

Narrator Marlo and her BFF, Amos, haven’t been on speaking terms for nearly a month, so both are unpleasantly surprised to discover that their oblivious parents have planned a four-day family trip down the Yukon River together. The rugged outdoors gives them little time to stew, though. Accompanied by Marlo’s big, affectionate dog, Cheerio, who often takes center stage, the kids soon paddle down a branching stream and lose touch with the grown-ups. As they face a sudden waterfall and a relentless onslaught of other natural hazards, they realize that they must cooperate—their very existence depends on it. Days pass, and without a radio or phones to call for help, the pair must rely on their untried survival skills. Hashimoto describes all of this, along with the kids’ gear, in enough specific detail to hook readers no matter how much, or how little, experience they have with camping. Her exploration of Marlo and Amos’ conflict—the way the two circle around the cause of their rift and their eventual frank discussions of what happened and what each now expects from the other—could serve as good models for readers with longtime friendships that are undergoing changes. Physical descriptions are minimal.

A taut survival adventure, featuring a scene-stealing dog as well as lives and a close friendship in the balance.