Danger in the Desert

Scott and Robbie always wanted candy and root beer for dinner, but now they've got their wish, and it doesn't sound so good. They've been kidnapped in their mother's station wagon and left in the brutally hot desert with no food or water. When night comes-darker than they ever thought night could be and bringing coyotes and snakes-the brothers, eleven and nine, have to face the possibility that they might not be rescued. It's up to them to survive, using only what they happen to have in the station wagon. How can a pair of shoes, a set of hubcaps, and the contents of their mother's shopping bags be used for desert survival? You won't be able to stop reading until you find out.

Grade 5-7. Scott, 11, and Robbie, 9, argue and scuffle constantly. After a trip to the local mall one hot Arizona afternoon, the brothers and their mother stop at a gas station. She leaves the car running while she goes to pre-pay for gas, and an armed man hijacks the car and kidnaps the boys. After meeting his jeep-driving partner, the fugitive leaves the boys and the car in the desert. Frightened but unharmed, Scott begins to drive the car back to civilization, but runs out of gas. The rest of the story describes the suffering, terror, and hallucinations the siblings experience in their attempt to survive. Told by Scott, the story moves rapidly with vocabulary that is appropriate for the topic and reading level. This exciting adventure has a skillful integration of accurate survival tactics. Libraries in the Southwest will especially want to consider it.?Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS
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