Backcountry

by Jenny Goebel (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A girl and her diabetic alert dog face impossible odds when they're stranded in the unforgiving wilderness. Hatchet for a new generation!

Emily has always excelled at sports, and her athletic abilities have given her confidence on and off the courts. So when she starts to drag during her middle school volleyball season, she assumes it must be the flu. Why else would she be missing simple spikes and blocks? But after a particularly intense game she finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, a paramedic telling her that her life will never be the same.

Adjusting to life with type 1 diabetes isn't easy. Emily is desperate to prove that she's just as strong and capable as ever, so she jumps at the opportunity to go on a backcountry ski trip with her dad and her new diabetic alert dog, Molly.

But when an avalanche rips through the area, separating Emily from her father, she and Molly are left to face a challenge far greater than anything she could have imagined. When it becomes clear that no one will come to their rescue before their food and insulin run out, Emily and Molly must find strength they didn't know they possessed -- and faith in one another -- to survive the harsh wintery conditions and escape the backcountry.

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Kirkus Reviews

An adventurous scenario that nearly but doesn’t quite achieve strong disability representation.

Review quotes

Praise for Out of My Shell:

"Liv is a reflective, compassionate, and self-aware narrator, and she juggles myriad conflicting emotions, struggling especially with how to express her feelings while being considerate of those of the people around her. A strong story about growing up." — Kirkus Reviews

"A comforting book for fans of Ali Benjamin and Suzanne LaFleur." — Booklist

Praise for Fortune Falls:

* "Rich language, well-paced plotting, and rounded characters create an enchanting, hard-to-leave world. Sadie is a clever, resourceful, and brave heroine who is unwilling to abandon her family and friends, even when facing insurmountable odds. Make space on your shelves for this one." — Booklist, starred review

"Bad luck has never been so interesting; hand this to middle grade readers who enjoy tales with a touch of magic and a plucky underdog." — School Library Journal

Jenny Goebel
Jenny Goebel is the author of Grave Images, The 39 Clues: Mission Hurricane, and Fortune Falls. She lives in Denver with her husband and three sons.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781338857887
Lexile Measure
810
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Publication date
December 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV039150 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Special Needs
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
Library of Congress categories
Dogs
Adventure and adventurers
Working dogs
JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survi
Action and adventure fiction
Labrador retriever
Wilderness survival
Diabetes
Rocky Mountains
Cross-country skiing
JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / Environ
Labradore retriever

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