Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake
Hodder Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781444940459.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Coming of age,
Survival, Alaska, Family relations, Dance. The blurb says it all, to
add to it would include spoilers:
It starts with a plane crash.
There are survivors: a teenage girl and her little brother. They
are running from something. But what?
Then the men arrive. They are hunting the girl and boy. And -
And that's all we can tell you . . . (Publisher)
Nowhere on earth is an exciting page turner which will
engross any fan of the survival genre as Emily, her brother Aidan
and the pilot Bob, try to overcome the perils of the cold in Alaska
after their plane crash. The big question for the reader is: why are
they being chased by men in black who are hunting them with guns?
Readers will love the action and adventure - it's another book that
would make a fantastic movie. Emily is a wonderful heroine who
manages to survive using the skills that her parents have given her,
even though they are ones that she didn't want - all she wanted was
to dance. The novel is not just a survival story, though; it
explores some big philosophical questions like the nature of love in
families and the future being what an individual makes of it.
Between the adrenaline rushes of the chase there are poignant
moments especially when Emily's parents track her down in the
wilderness and she realises how much they love her.
Readers who liked Not If
I Save You First by Ally Carter will enjoy this.
Pat Pledger