The Long Way Around

by Anne Nesbet (Author)

The Long Way Around
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

In an exciting wilderness adventure, three cousins are cut off from their parents by a huge earthquake--and must hike long and treacherous mountain trails back to safety, with only each other to rely on.

During a hiking trip with their parents in the mountains of California, cousins Owen, Vivian, and Amy are finally allowed to camp for one night at a little lake all on their own. But when a massive earthquake blocks their return path, there's only one way home: the long way around, through a wilderness filled with fierce animals, raging rivers, unstable weather, and high passes. The hardest challenges the cousins face, however, are the troubles they've brought with them: bold Vivian's fear of starting middle school and of changes she can't control, Owen's lingering emotional scars from a car accident, and Amy's desire to live in stories rather than in boring regular life.

Drawing on courage and humor, the cousins weather storms, make the most of dwindling rations, and face their deepest fears in order to bring each other safely home. This gripping contemporary novel from celebrated author Anne Nesbet is bursting with excitement, rich natural settings, and characters who will have readers rooting for them all the way.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Starred Review

This is a tale of adventure and survival, but it's far from grim; instead, it's filled with effervescent writing and humorous dialogue. . . . If a story about three kids alone in the mountains with little food could ever be described as cheerful and uplifting, this one is it. A sparkling tale of survival.

ALA/Booklist

Perfect for fans of adventure stories.

Hornbook

The plot--told in the third person and never too harrowing--is fast-paced and rich in setting. Sights, sounds, and smells are vividly delineated, creating a picturesque backdrop to center the cousins' journey and its transformative effects.

Anne Nesbet
Anne Nesbet is the author of the historical middle-grade novels Cloud and Wallfish, The Orphan Band of Springdale, and Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen, as well as three middle-grade fantasy novels. Her books have received numerous accolades, including multiple starred reviews and appearances on many best book and notables lists. A professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Anne Nesbet lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536234725
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
September 10, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV032170 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Camping & Outdoor Activities
JUV029050 - Juvenile Fiction | Science & Nature | Trees & Forests
Library of Congress categories
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