No Way Out

Ruckman, Ivy

ISBN 10: 0690046715 ISBN 13: 9780690046717

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1988

Synopsis

Hiking along the Virgin River in Utah, nineteen-year-old Amy, her fiance, and four friends battle a flashflood.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up A sudden rainstorm brings flash floods through the Zion Narrows when Amy, 19; her fiance, Rick; her younger brother; 16-year-old Clyde, and four others are camped there. The terrifying flood and its aftermath forces them to use all of their resources to stay alive and to make their way out of the Narrows. Focussing mainly on Amy and Clyde, the story highlights the ef fects of cold, injuries, hunger, and fear on individual members of the party. Within this dramatic framework, Ruck man allows her characters to learn from tragedy, causing Amy to rethink her marriage plans and Clyde to see himself and his talents in a more positive light. The dynamics of relationships between characters, including Amy's with Rick and her brother as well as with Audrey, a calm older woman; Clyde's with a troubled young girl; and Rick's with an other friend whom they meet on the trail, are particularly well-developed. Another plus for this fast-paced surviv al novel is that an intelligent and inde pendent young woman is the protago nist. She, like the male heros of Gary Blackwood's Wild Timothy (Athene um, 1987) and Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (Bradbury, 1987) emerges from the wil derness experience as a more thought ful and careful adult.Barbara Chat ton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

An outdoor adventure leads to disaster in Ruckman's latest work. Amy, her fiance Rick, brother Ben and four others trek through Utah's Zion Narrows. They admire stunning canyons and sparkling streams until rain begins to fall. The resulting flood turns their leisurely hike into a life-threatening struggle. In her fight for survival, Amy painfully confronts another issue: Rick is not the person she thinks he is. This book may strike some readers as odd; the main characters range in age from early teens to late 30s or so, but their personalities and appearances are never fully drawn. Amy's discoveries about Rick are not subtle, and while his newfound flaws are obvious to her, readers never knew Rick's original character. The story line is suspenseful and the landscape is vivid, but the characters don't measure up. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0690046715
• ISBN 13: 9780690046717
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 212