Survivor Girl

May 15, 2019
Ali Kensington, 12, worships her father, star of Survivor Guy, a reality show à la Man vs. Wild. Ali is looking forward to going on location with her dad, whom she rarely sees because of his production schedule. Her excitement is marred by one small problem: Ali has been lying to everyone about her nonexistent survival skills; all she's done is read a lot of books. She's sure she's going to blow it on camera for the whole world to see. And her hero worship deflates upon discovering it's not just her dad, a camera, and miles of unforgiving wilderness, as she and his fans have been led to believe: There's a Hollywood-style set, complete with stunt doubles, fancy campers, and doughnuts for breakfast. Then an honest-to-gosh life-threatening situation arises when a wildfire breaks out, forcing Ali to call on her inner Survivor Girl. Ali's emotional growth is the main focus of the story. Her anger and misery are believable as she questions both the lies she's been told and the lies she's told and as she faces up to the lies she's told the most important person of all: herself. She'll have to accept her limitations, embrace her abilities, and discover a bravery she didn't know she had. Characters are assumed white. A strong story that shows survival is more than just getting through physical challenges. (Fiction. 9-14)

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June 28, 2019

Gr 3-6-Twelve-year-old Ali idolizes her reality TV survivalist father and wants to be just like him. When she gets the opportunity to join him in the Great Dismal Swamp, Ali is terrified she won't survive until she arrives and sees that the reality of television is not all it appears. Parent-child relationships, self esteem, and the value of truth and honesty are at the forefront of this adventure story. Ali's character is relatable and realistic; tween girls will see their struggles with body image, their parents, and fitting in. The other characters are not as fully developed as Ali, but they work well to support the issues in the story. While the book ends with an exciting survival scene, it takes a while to build up to the adventure and some of the events surrounding the falsehood of the reality TV show could have been cut to speed the pace. VERDICT Readers who enjoy modern realistic fiction will connect with Ali and her story, while adventure seekers may be left wanting.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Twelve-year-old Ali joins her brother on her father's �cf2]Survivor Guy�cf1] reality show in the Great Dismal Swamp and is disappointed to learn the show relies on stunt doubles and deceptive camera angles. When Ali, five-year-old medic's-daughter Isabel, and intern Adam are left behind during a wildfire evacuation, Ali puts her �cf2]real�cf2] survival skills to work. The action sequences fit smoothly with the scenes of emotional growth, and the resolution is satisfying.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2019
Twelve-year-old Ali is excited to join her older brother Jake on the set of their father's Survivor Guy reality show (even though a last-minute change means the location is the hot, humid, bug-infested Great Dismal Swamp), but she quickly learns that the show owes more to stunt doubles and camera angles than actual wilderness skills. Ali struggles with her emotions as the script assigns her an unfavorable role (incompetent daughter in need of rescue); as she discovers how naive she has been about her father's work; and as she realizes her father has a better relationship with five-year-old Isabel, daughter of the show's medic, than he does with her. When a wildfire threatens the set, the cast and crew evacuate, but Ali, Isabel, and intern Adam are left behind, giving Ali the opportunity to put her real survival skills to work. She emerges from the woods with a better understanding of her family relationships and a more realistic perspective on life. Despite the natural-disaster dramatics, the story as a whole is down-to-earth, focusing on Ali's emotions and the challenges of divorce, changing friendships, and growing maturity. Teagan's characters are well defined and well rounded, with even Ali's self-centered father given redeeming aspects. The action sequences fit smoothly with the scenes of emotional growth, and the resolution is satisfying. sarah rettger

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 15, 2019
Ali Kensington, 12, worships her father, star of Survivor Guy, a reality show � la Man vs. Wild. Ali is looking forward to going on location with her dad, whom she rarely sees because of his production schedule. Her excitement is marred by one small problem: Ali has been lying to everyone about her nonexistent survival skills; all she's done is read a lot of books. She's sure she's going to blow it on camera for the whole world to see. And her hero worship deflates upon discovering it's not just her dad, a camera, and miles of unforgiving wilderness, as she and his fans have been led to believe: There's a Hollywood-style set, complete with stunt doubles, fancy campers, and doughnuts for breakfast. Then an honest-to-gosh life-threatening situation arises when a wildfire breaks out, forcing Ali to call on her inner Survivor Girl. Ali's emotional growth is the main focus of the story. Her anger and misery are believable as she questions both the lies she's been told and the lies she's told and as she faces up to the lies she's told the most important person of all: herself. She'll have to accept her limitations, embrace her abilities, and discover a bravery she didn't know she had. Characters are assumed white. A strong story that shows survival is more than just getting through physical challenges. (Fiction. 9-14)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.