BookPage Teen Top Pick, August 2018

If you ask me, there's no better time to read a good old-fashioned survival story than at the height of summer, when long, lazy days and warm nights might make readers long for some heart-pounding humans-versus-wilderness drama.

Kate Alice Marshall's I Am Still Alive certainly fits the bill, though there's really nothing old-fashioned about it, since its themes and structures are boldly contemporary. The novel's first half is divided into alternating sections titled "Before" and "After," as 16-year-old Jess Cooper recounts how and why she came to live in a remote area of Canada with her estranged father, and how she's been surviving in the days since his sudden murder and the destruction of everything that had been keeping her small family alive in this beautiful but unforgiving place.

By the time these two timelines merge midway through the novel, readers are bound to be thoroughly invested in Jess' survival, made even more harrowing due to a painful disability that forces Jess to work twice as hard—and be at least twice as smart—as someone with two fully functioning legs. I Am Still Alive is full of the kinds of backcountry details that will intrigue fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and its ilk, from finding and killing food to making shelter, and there's plenty of high-stakes conflict with humans and animals alike. But Marshall's thrilling tale is also a deeply moving story about coming to terms with imperfections (both in oneself and in others) and about finding true resourcefulness and inner strength.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Marshall's striking first novel follows two parts of 16-year-old Jess Cooper's life: before and after her father is murdered and she's left to fend for herself in the Canadian wilderness. After her mother dies in a car crash that leaves Jess with a bad foot, she travels from Seattle to Canada to live with her father, who left them years before. He lives in a remote cabin in the woods and attempts to teach Jess survival skills, but she resents him, and they agree that she'll stay there one year and then decide whether to return home. But she soon discovers that her dad is mixed up with some bad guys, and when they show up to collect their loot, they kill him, leaving her alone with his dog, Bo. To stay alive, Jess must summon great physical and mental strength; she learns to hunt, fish, build fire, and find shelter, but any mistake could be fatal. Marshall builds tension steadily as winter approaches and Jess plots her revenge. The diary format and Marshall's immersive descriptions will hook readers into this exhilarating survival story. Ages 12–up. (July)

Gr 9 Up—Already devastated from the car accident that killed her mother and left her leg badly damaged, Jess Cooper is off to Northern Canada to live with a father she barely knows in a completely isolated cabin. Being in seclusion is part choice and part necessity due to her father's secretive involvement with a dangerous group. When men unexpectedly show up, Jess must hide in the woods and watch in shock as they murder her father, burn the cabin, and leave what they think is an abandoned scene. The only other person who knows about Jess is thousands of miles away. With the sole companionship of her father's dog and a few supplies salvaged from the fire, Jess sets out to do the only thing she can—survive. Chapters alternate between past and present, keeping readers engaged while building suspense. Jess shows strength in adversity, first from the death of her mother and then from her own will to live. Jess battles her father, the strange men, nature, and herself throughout Marshall's tension-filled adventure. Scenes of gun violence happen on page. Readers who enjoy postapocalyptic books will be rewarded if they try this more realistic novel. VERDICT A gripping tale of endurance and discovery of inner strength. A strong purchase.—Carrie Finberg, South Park High School, PA