The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling (Author)

The Canyon's Edge
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Hatchet meets Long Way Down in this heartfelt and gripping novel in verse about a young girl's struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.

One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips across their path, sweeping away Nora's father and all of their supplies.

Suddenly, Nora finds herself lost and alone in the desert, facing dehydration, venomous scorpions, deadly snakes, and, worst of all, the Beast who has terrorized her dreams for the past year. If Nora is going to save herself and her father, she must conquer her fears, defeat the Beast, and find the courage to live her new life.

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School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 4-7—Since the fateful day her mother was killed one year ago, Nora and her father have continually withdrawn further from society. Protecting their memories is how they've endured. While burying emotions seems to be Nora's strength, a hiking trip in Arizona's Sonoran Desert is about to change everything. A flash flood leaves Nora alone at the bottom of a canyon; no father, no supplies, and very little hope. If she's going to make it out alive, Nora must put her survival skills to the test and not only survive the desert, but face personal demons. Bowling delivers a poignant depiction of a young girl dealing with anxiety and PTSD. Bookended by narrative, the text transofrms seamlessly to verse in the middle (when Nora is alone in the canyon) to intensely convey Nora's thoughts and feelings. The continued struggle over her mother's death plays into her strife in the desert through flashbacks of therapy sessions from the past year. Forced to be alone with her thoughts, Nora battles what it means to survive versus what it means to live. As she gradually succeeds in getting out of the canyon, Nora realizes that a person is not defined by one moment, but rather, their resilience and growth over time. VERDICT For readers who bloomed under Leza Lowitz's Up From the Sea or Jasmine Warga's Other Words for Home, this emotionally resonant survival tale is a must-have.—Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

In the year since Nora's most recent birthday, when a restaurant shooting resulted in the tragic death of her mother and a PTSD diagnosis for Nora, the girl's father has kept her isolated and protected from the world. Unsurprisingly, Dad decides to celebrate her birthday with a trip far from civilization: rappelling into a slot canyon in the Sonoran Desert. Having grown up rock climbing and hiking through deserts, Nora is well versed in survival skills, but after the two travel for several hours, a flash flood steals away her father, leaving Nora alone with no supplies, no idea whether her dad is alive, and struggling to survive while keeping the demons of the last year at bay. Writing primarily in verse, with a few narrative passages, Bowling (24 Hours in Nowhere) creates a fast-paced, gripping novel in which Nora confronts dangers such as scorpions and snakes. The effective stream-of-consciousness narration jumps from Nora's teeth-gritting determination to despairing flashbacks of the shooting that killed her mother and the fatigue-wearing "Beast" who still haunts her. Because the entire story spans roughly 48 hours, readers learn little about Nora outside of these two incidents, lessening the opportunities to connect with her. Still, the high level of tension and the emotional pull of Bowling's writing make this a praiseworthy, adventure-filled story. Ages 8-12. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
Dusti Bowling

Dusti Bowling is the bestselling and award-winning author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, The Canyon's Edge, and Across the Desert, among other books for young readers. Dusti holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and lives in Arizona with her husband, three daughters, a dozen tarantulas, a gopher snake named Burrito, a king snake name Death Noodle, and a cockatiel named Gandalf the Grey.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316494694
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
September 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV039180 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Violence
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV032170 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Camping & Outdoor Activities
Library of Congress categories
Families
Family life
Survival
Novels in verse
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Hiking
Canyons
Texas Bluebonnet Awards Master List
2021 - 2022

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