This is my favorite Truman Nominee for this year, 2013-2014. It describes an amazing and beautiful place in a thoughtful way. It also provides the reader with a great deal to consider with regards to self and relationships. It also has an excellent voice.

Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2243

Author interview:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/05/ginny-rorby-interview-and-giveaway.html

Ginny Rorby is one of my favorite authors. Her other books, Hurt Go Happy and Outside of a Horse, deal with animal and human issues; although Lost in the River of Grass does talk about animals and animal issues throughout, this is Ginny's most human of a novel. It is about survival and finding the strength inside of yourself to stand up to anything- even something that has always terrified you. Throughout the novel, Sarah and Andy, who are lost in the Everglades, face things that are only in most of our nightmares. I learned, quite quickly, that I probably wouldn't survive if I was lost in the river of grass. But Sarah, who is scared of EVERYTHING, grows up right in front of our eyes. This book made me gasp, cry, laugh- go through the cycle of emotions, but that is what makes a book so wonderful. Ginny Rorby knows how to write characters that the reader can connect with and this is no exception- Sarah is just a normal girl and Andy is just a normal boy, but through their journey they found out how extraordinary they are.

Another great novel!

Lovely descriptions of the Everglades. Aside from that not the most original story.

I give this novel three stars. Why only three? Because for me, everything was just okay. Nothing really stood out to me or drew me in. I didn't really enjoy how the situation began with a school trip, it just seemed a little pointless. What I did like was how it just 'jumps' right into the story. It was a quick read and while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, it also wasn't the worst

Interesting, I always thought when I was a kid I could live on my own in the wilderness. Just rub some sticks together and start a fire. Of course I'd need a knife to kill predators off too. Well I soon got in touch with reality and discovered that it wasn't that easy. And nature and me are not really that well acquainted, we interact on a need to know basis, but now reading about bugs crawling all over the protagonist has made these interactions even less desirable. Reading this was somewhat educational in a sobering way.

Sarah is at a new school on scholarship and doesn't feel like she fits in. We start with her on a field trip with all these kids who do not treat her too kindly. They aren't mean (well maybe a little) parse, but they pointedly ignore her for the most part, so when a guy shows her just a small bit of kindness and offers to show her around the Everglades she takes it. If we just left it at this it would not be as interesting as being stuck in the Everglades, which is what happens.

Now, I didn't not like Sarah in the beginning. She was fine but she isn't very nice to the guy, Andy. Granted he is kind of responsible for what happened, but it was a mistake. In the end she grows to appreciate how much he tried to redeem himself. Andrew is nice for the most part but he does his share of mistakes. Their development throughout the book was nice to see and they both have their moments.

What really makes the book stand out to me though is the Everglades itself. You see all these creatures that look so intimating, dangerous and there are some pretty scary things that happen but I think its true that the more you know and understand things the less afraid you are of them. Once Sarah knew more she felt she could do more and was more confident that she could survive. However, no matter what anybody says about snakes I will never be okay with them. They are just wrong.

I'm having a bit of a guilty conscious thinking of why I read this book, and no it's not the cover (I actually don't have too many qualms about reading a book because of that, yeah I know I'm scandalously shameless). I read it because the page count was relatively low and I really need to bring up my book count fast so I'm not so utterly behind on the book challenge. Well, luckily for me the book packs a good amount of storytelling and I appreciate a well told story.

Sarah is a freshman at Glades Academy and in an uncharacteristic move decides to take a science class trip to the Everglades. She is a scholarship kid and because of it feels like she doesn't fit in and is a bit ostracized by the other girls. On this field trip she will also do something she usually doesn't do, break the rules. While at the field trip she decides to take a boat ride with a guy who works at the Everglades. But it isn't picture perfect as it should have been because one careless mistake will leave them stranded where nobody will find them for days. They'll have to venture out in the dangerous world of the Everglades where not many make it out unscathed.

The characters are important to the story but I think the "character" that who steals the show is the Everglades itself. It acts as teacher to Sarah and Andy, and I can tell the author has a respectful love for this environment and that showed through the pages. You could feel the heat, tension, and weird fascination of this harsh environment. I'm so glad this book didn't take a typical route of having the book central around Sarah and Andy being lovey dovey (there is a little of that), but the book concentrates on how they want to survive and how they both pull out strength they thought they didn't have to move forward even when it seems like they won't get through this.

Sarah's voice felt realistic, and even though in the beginning I thought she complained a lot and she bickered too much with Andy it's probably what would happen. You are going to feel a bit ticked off when you are in a dire life and death situation. It was interesting to witness the unfolding of the two main characters background. Sarah doesn't come from a privileged family but Andy assumes she does. On the other hand Sarah assumes Andy is confident and has everything together, but in reality he doesn't have real direction and feels like he's been handed the short end of the stick when it comes to life. They kind of counter-balance each other, and fit together because they both want to do better in their own way.

After reading this book I feel like I need to brush up on my survival skills because they are seriously lacking. Goodness, what am I saying?!?! I need a major overhaul.

Sidenote:I just have to say I think a may be a teeny bit heartless because most of the time I was on Andy side when it came to their little companion Teapot. But I have to say he came in handy on more than one occasion.

Lost in the River of Grass is simply one of those good ole' survival stories. Nothing fancy, nothing paranormal, just two kids trying to make it out of the everglades alive. It reminded me of Hatchet, just in a very different setting.

What I liked most about the book is that it's realistic. Sarah and Andy, the two main characters, act their ages and react as you would expect them to in such a bad situation. Sure Sarah freaks out quite a lot and does her fair share of whining, but wouldn't you if you were a 14 year old stranded in the wild? (I'm 15-which is close enough-and I would) Also, the survival aspect was pretty cool to read and seemed realistic as well. It's safe to say that I now know a lot more about the Everglades, and my fear of fire ants has escalated considerably. Their whole situation is a result of a bad decision that they both made, and instead of getting off easy, they have to live with it.

Decent character development is basically a given, because after that whole ordeal it's hard to come home without having learned at least one lesson. However, I did think that Sarah got off a little easy when she came home. Her parents and teachers were completely forgiving, but I have a feeling that I'd be grounded for a LONG time if I ever pulled something like that. I liked the relationship between Andy and Sarah, because it seemed so...normal. Even in their circumstances they didn't fall in love at first sight or anything annoying like that.

My only complaint about the book is that nothing especially surprising or exciting ever happens. I mean, the alligators and other dangers would probably be pretty thrilling (in a bad way) in real life, but those feelings didn't really transfer to the page while I was reading.

Finally:
Lost in the River of Grass isn't the type of book I'd usually read, but the interesting survival story was refreshing and a good read.

Not exactly a thriller, or action packed mess, but interesting and portrays a very real growth we all grow through in those tender years of teenagerhood. This book is about a girl, outcasted by the popular girls on a field trip to the everglades, and through a mishap undergoes a journey that builds on her character in a way i rather admire.

Ages 11+ (someone gets called an ass, abortion is briefly referenced in relation to someone's long gone mother)

Survival in the Everglades with a dose of Ecology lesson. I could see this as a good curriculum companion for a 7th or 8th grade class.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book - was it a YA adventure book or a YA romance book. It did pretty well on the adventure quotient, but I realized I skimmed this book more than hungered after every page. And the thing that really threw me at the end was that the character says "I'm black!" - huh? What? Maybe the author could have explored that more throughout the book other than sticking it in the last couple pages. Ugh.