Out of Range

In this story that blends nail-biting adventure with a relationship story, siblings learn through being physically lost and forced to face life-threatening danger that they can discover who they are and what really matters. A realistic, riveting survival story.

Lang's (the Whispering Pines series) smartly developed novel depicts a sibling feud that culminates in a high-adventure survival story. The present-day narrative finds 14-year-old Abby, 12-year-old Emma, and nine-year-old Ollie McBee, all presumed white, hiking through the wilderness at Camp Unplugged, where they've been sent to reconnect after months of tricks, betrayals, and shifting alliances following a cross-country move. The specifics of their conflict unfold in flashbacks that deftly rotate among the sisters' perspectives, which effectively convey each girl's personality and role in the family. As the oldest, Abby longs to strike out on her own socially, faking a love of running when she falls for her school's cross-country star. Shy middle child Emma struggles with catastrophic thinking and feels adrift in middle school--especially after Abby arranges a cruel public prank. Youngest child Ollie puts on a tough front but longs to lure Emma to her side, "Team Youngers." Soon lost and alone in the woods, the sisters encounter a raging river and a snarling bear alongside their need for one another. Lang packs a lot into the well-paced pages, weaving believable character growth into an enjoyable kids versus nature--and sister versus sister versus sister--tale. An author's note concludes. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (June)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Lost in the woods, feuding sisters confront their deteriorating relationship while trying to survive.

The story opens with 14-year-old Abby, 12-year-old Emma, and 9-year-old Ollie on a disciplinary hike with their camp counselor. When the counselor leaves them to scout the trail, Abby decides to return to camp with Emma and Ollie reluctantly following. Soon lost, the presumably White sisters flee from a forest fire down to a river, where Emma falls in and is swept away and Ollie vanishes trying to follow her, leaving Abby on her own. In the ensuring hours, Emma nearly drowns, Ollie injures her ankle, and Abby encounters a bear. Their harrowing, sparring, lost-in-the-woods present-day drama alternates with critical backstory from each sister's perspective. A recent family relocation from California to Utah has left Abby friendless; after joining the cross country team, she abandons Emma. Equally displaced, Emma's hurt Abby has ditched her, while Ollie pretends to not mind moving but resents being ignored by both her sisters. Their feelings culminate in a series of cruel, humiliating pranks against one another. The artful movement of plot between past and present gradually reveals why they have been sent to camp together. In this story that blends nail-biting adventure with a relationship story, siblings learn through being physically lost and forced to face life-threatening danger that they can discover who they are and what really matters.

A realistic, riveting survival story. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-12)

—Kirkus Reviews "5/1/22"