Cold River
By: William Judson Pages: 182
This book fits into the realistic fiction genre and is set back in the 1920’s. Fourteen year old Lizzy Allison, her father, and Tim, her step-brother, set forth in the autumn for two weeks of camping and learning about living and surviving in nature. All of the people in the village know that this is to be one of the worst winters ever recorded in history, so they want to go and be back home before winter arrives. Even though the Allison’s take a wrong tributary, they vote and decide to continue on their journey. They are heading down the Cold River and unexpectedly come upon rapids. Because of the current in the water, they are unable to get their canoe to the side of the river, and their canoe capsizes. Mr. Allison breaks his leg, and they decide to stay with him to let it heal for a while. He contracts pneumonia, and in the night he dies. His death leaves Lizzy and Tim alone in an unknown area and in an unfamiliar environment they know very little about.
As they hike over the unknown land, they are forced to use the survival skills they do possess to find food and shelter. They even come upon an escaped convict who wants their food and will do whatever he needs to do to survive in the wilderness. Will young Lizzy and Tim outwit the seasoned criminal to survive or will they lose and disappear into an unknown wilderness?
Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action in a book because this book has plenty of it! I would give it 3 out of 4 stars because it's exciting to read, and it keeps the reader reading on. If a person really likes survival books, he or she should really read this book!
Lauren Borisek 7th GradeI would recommend this book to a daring and an adventurous person. This book is exciting all of the time. There is never a dull moment. Adventurous people are just like that. There never seems to be a dull moment in their lives. I also recommend this book to people who love the outdoors. The majority of this book takes place outdoors. People who like the outdoors would learn some great hints on how to survive in the wilderness from this book.
Sarah Nahn 7th GradeThis book would be good for anyone to read, and I would recommend it to readers from 5th grade to adult. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure. There is a lot happening in this book, and it is good if the reader wants a fast paced book. In Cold River there are so many good parts, the reader will not be able to put it down.
Dani Seefeldt 7th Grade
