A good addition to my YA for boys list, and possibly a good reluctant reader book. A quick read (less than 4 hours for me), YA survival adventure. A 17-year-old boy and his best friend go to Colorado for some cross-country skiing. And lots of bad things happen. If you made a list of the ten worst things that could happen on such a trip, six or seven of those happen in this book. And it has real consequences.
Only four stars for two reasons. 1) I was at first irritated how the author couldn't seem to have dialog with just dialog or a tag. there was always some piece of stage business, and it often wasn't important. It caused a hiccup in the reading for me. Eventually the characters and story made me ignore that flaw. 2) And it really is too many things to have happen to people in one 48-hour period. I've hiked in the Cascades and through Bryce in winter and in northern AZ and in Acadia and Idaho and all kinds of places, alone entirely or alone with my dog most of that time, and never once did I get attacked by a wild animal. I saw prints, but as far as I can tell they'll do nearly anything to avoid you (save, probably grizzlies and polar bears and sharks, who would happily eat you, but I never ran into any of those.) Hell, even rattle snakes give you many many feet of warning. So I sort of didn't believe that, but whatever. It made for a better yarn, I guess. Hardcover Avalanche is a book that will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. It is filled with adventure, action, arguments, nature, and boy-girl problems. I really like how Braun describes the struggles of the characters. She does this by switching the point of view throughout the book. The action is believable, and she does a good job of drawing the reader into the peril the characters face.
I really like how Braun made this book personal. The main character is named after her husband; several of the other characters were named after people she knows. She even includes her alma mater, the University of Minnesota into the story.
For me, there was only one negative with this book. I felt that every possible bad thing that could happen to the group happens. It made it a little unrealistic for me. As I read, I found myself thinking, “Not again.” SPOILER: I mean avalanche, death, bears, mountain lions, freezing rivers, tree wells, cliffs….was a little too much. Middle schoolers will probably not think this, but I feel more advanced readers might it distracting.
Some will need to be aware of the language used in the book. It does contain cursing and occasionally drops the “F-bomb”. I think the language is realistic for the plot. It is high school student and college students talking, and they are in some hairy predicaments.
Hardcover Ok, I'm good with any YA/middle grade novel that gets readers interested in getting outside. Avalanche is a fast paced, page turner as well. Maybe I'm too jaded, however, to fully appreciate this novel, knowing folks on Alpine Rescue Teams and the area in the book but...would a party, no matter HOW unlucky:
-Get caught in an avalanche
-Asphyxiate themselves in a cabin
-Be stalked by a mountain lion, three times
-Almost fall off a cliff (1 person)
-Actually fall off a cliff (another person)
-Get attacked by a bear
-Fall in a river (2 people)
-Survive a blizzard
-Suffer from frostbite
Also, some of the areas referenced were 50+ miles of each other so it was a bit implausible and I wonder if older, more sophisticated readers would sour on it.
For older middle grade and younger teens this an exciting story featuring a mix of male and female characters. Hardcover Overall, the story is good. I loved the descriptive language throughout and the development of the characters as the situations in the book grow from bad to worst. The ending was also sweet. I am only rating it three stars, however, because I feel like certain parts of the book were predictable. This is a book about survival and I was expecting more surprises from the plot, or at least to be taken aback at times by what happened. I can only recall one time when I was really surprised by the plot. That aside, it's a good read for the winter time when you can share the same spine-chilling sensation from the weather that the characters are experiencing. Hardcover When Matt joins his friends for a backcountry ski adventure, he doesn’t fully understand the danger he is facing. Half a day into the trip, an avalanche is triggered leaving one dead and another severely injured. Soon Matt and his new friend Leah are fighting the elements to save their entire group.
A fast-paced story of survival, Avalanche will keep readers hooked. It is perfect for reluctant readers because the action never stops (it’s actually a little over the top for me--what are the chances you get chased by a bear AND attacked by a mountain lion within a few hours of each other) and the book is rather short. Even with a quick story, the characters are well-developed. Perfect for action movie lovers.
Recommended ages–12 and up
Hardcover
Two groups of teens—those waiting to be saved and those doing the saving—are in a race against time and a battle against Mother Nature after an avalanche traps them in an isolated cabin in this chilling novel.
“I promise it’ll be a weekend you’ll never forget.”
A trip like that is exactly what Matt was hoping for—a fun adventure. A daring escape. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go cross country skiing in a thrilling but dangerous pass through the Rocky Mountains. The perfect way for Matt to forget about his disappointing father and maybe let loose a little with his best friend and a group of carefree adrenaline junkies.
But then their guide takes them off-path…and straight into an avalanche. By the time they make it safely into an abandoned cabin, one skier is dead and another severely injured. Trapped with no heat, no water, and no radio the group decides to wait it out. Help will come. It has to.
Until it doesn’t. And Matt knows if they wait any longer they’ll be dead—just another bunch of victims in Mother Nature’s twisted games. Armed with only a handful of supplies and his fierce determination Matt decides to goes head-to-head with the elements, battling hypothermia, frostbite, and even mountain lions in order to find help and save them all. That is if Mother Nature doesn’t kill him first. Avalanche
This book was a quick read and I enjoyed it mainly because it was exactly what it presents itself to be: a survival story. I’ve always enjoyed shows like “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, which is why I decided to read this book in the first place. It read like an episode right off of the show. Matt’s relationship with his father was certainly a catalyst for how he ended up on the trip, but honestly by the time he was mentioned again it seemed a bit out of place, like the author forgot she’d mentioned him and then realized she should probably account for him somewhere. There were also some other random and unnecessary moments and “inner thoughts” that seemed out of place, but they’re easy enough to push pass.
Once the “survival” part of the story was over, it seemed like the ending was a bit lackluster, but I mean I came here for the story of the avalanche right? Not the aftermath. I also liked the various POV’s including The Hunter, which threw me off at first, but definitely added an interesting element during the story. Overall, I’m not sure if I’d read this story again, but I’m definitely intrigued enough to check out the author’s other survival novel. Hardcover An adventure is what Matt seeks, and an adventure is what he gets. When he and his best friend, Tony, go with Tony’s brother and friends on a back-country skiing adventure they get more than what they asked for. Much more. An unexpected avalanche leaves one of their own missing, another injured, and it’s up to Matt and Leah – who knows the area – to find help before it’s too late.
I did like how this story was written. I was eager to see what would happen next with Matt and his friends, and it was well-paced. It begins with just Matt’s perspective, but then after the Avalanche we get to see Tony’s perspective once Matt and Leah go for help, and we get a few short chapters of “The Hunter” which I thought was clever.
The characters were pretty likeable, and Matt and Leah do get a bit of backstory at least, which adds to the story. The other characters fell a little flat for me though, but it’s also a bit of a short book… so it’s not like there was a lot of time to get attached to them, I suppose. Though I did feel for Tony during the time his group was waiting for help to come. He was just so cute at times and I wanted to jump into the book and hug him.
As I mentioned before, the story kept me wanting to know what would happen next, which I love to have when I’m reading. I didn’t dread going back to read, and I actually read the book in two sittings. That’s not something that happens a lot anymore. The only issue I had was that it felt like the ending was kind of rushed. It was good; it just felt too quick after all that adventure.
Overall, it was a good book about survival and a quick read. I’ll admit that it’s one that I probably won’t reread, it’s more of a “one and done” story. But it’s still a good one. Hardcover Matt should have been in Florida spending a week with his father who canceled at the last minute; instead he was skiing with his best friend, his college ages brother and friends of the brother. The group is headed to a once in a lifetime destination through a thrilling, but extremely dangerous pass through the Rocky Mountains. Instead of heading towards the adventure planned, they head directly into an avalanche!
One member of the party is now missing and presumed dead, another is seriously injured. Splitting into groups, three stay with the injured teen, while two traverse extremely dangerous terrain in search of a cell phone signal to call for help.
During a night, a third girl, weary that help is not coming heads out on her own to try to get help. It’s a battle against Mother Nature and her wild creatures. The question becomes, who will make it and who will succumb to Mother Nature!
Hardcover 'Have you ever heard of these things happening out here before?'
By these things, he meant the following:
Avalanches. Mortal wounds. Hypothermia. Bear attacks. What else did he forget? What else was there?
Matt thought of Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong, will. That seemed to be true, and it was getting truer by the minute.
'I think these things happen all the time,' Leah answered. 'It's just that they've never happened to us.'
Seven skiers start into the mountains. Not all of them return alive.
When Matt's trip to visit his disappointing father falls apart, he joins his best friend Tony on a skiing trip through the Rocky Mountains with Tony's older brother and college friends. The adventure is supposed to be fun and lighthearted, but when the group strays into an avalanche, their entire trip turns for the worse.
One skier is dead. Another is severely injured. With no heat, no signal, and no easy path back to safety, it becomes clear that everybody's lives are at stake. If the rest want to make it out alive, they must split up in groups and work together to survive.
Dang! This book was certainly a journey!
Everything, and I mean everything that could have gone wrong on this trip went wrong. It was kind of comical, in a way that isn't funny to these characters or if this were to happen in real life, but rather in a way that has you thinking It can't get any worse, can it? Oh. It did. For the sheer amount of life-threatening incidents that happened to multiple characters persistently, I don't think such a series of near-death experiences one after the other would be realistic.
But man, did I eat this up anyway! I love a good survival story and this had everything you could ever ask for! I rooted for every member of the group, as even those that complained had every right to for what they were going through. Once the avalanche struck, I was flying through the pages, completely immersed until the end.
I still adore the mountains. But stories like these remind me that there is much to fear as well.
True to his father's word, he thought of a quote from the book. 'Energy and persistence conquer all things.'
'Nice,' Leah replied. 'So who said that?'
'Benjamin Franklin.'
'Did Benjamin Franklin ever climb a mountain?'
'Don't think so.'
'Yeah, that's what I thought.' Leah turned away and began the long, slow ascent. Up and up and forever up. Hardcover A really good thriller with great plot and great characters! Hardcover
