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Summary
Summary
In Paul Greci's Hostile Territory , a catastrophic earthquake strands four teens in the Alaskan wilderness--and leaves them without a civilization to return to.
Josh and three other campers at Simon Lake are high up on a mountain when an earthquake hits. The rest of the camp is wiped out in a moment--leaving Josh, Derrick, Brooke, and Shannon alone, hundreds of miles from the nearest town, with meager supplies, surrounded by dangerous Alaskan wildlife.
After a few days, it's clear no rescue is coming, and distant military activity in the skies suggests this natural disaster has triggered a political one.
Josh and his fellow campers face a struggle for survival in their hike back home--to an America they might not recognize.
An Imprint Book
"In Greci's intense survival tale with a thriller component, four teens endure a harrowing trek across the Alaskan wilderness . . . It's clear that Greci ( The Wild Lands ) knows his landscape-- Alaska's beauty and natural hazards become their own vivid character in his handling." -- Publishers Weekly
"Readers will feel like they are in Alaska alongside the characters... Recommended for teenagers who like postapocalyptic adventure or are fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet ." -- School Library Journal
Author Notes
Paul Greci has lived and worked in Alaska for over twenty-five years as a field biology technician in remote wilderness areas, a teacher and backpacking trip leader for teens, and a naturalist for several outdoor education programs. His middle grade adventure novel, Surviving Bear Island , was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Scholastic Reading Club Pick. He is also the author of the young adult novel The Wild Lands .
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Greci's intense survival tale with a thriller component, four teens endure a harrowing trek across the Alaskan wilderness after an earthquake destroys their leadership camp, leaving them as the only survivors. Faced with limited supplies and no hope of rescue, Josh, Shannon, Brooke, and Derrick must brave myriad dangers (bears, wolves, and treacherous terrain), overcome their fears, and learn to work as a team to reach civilization. But their odyssey continues even after they find help: the world teeters on the brink of disaster, and a sudden shift in plot and tone poses the quartet as the unlikely solution to preventing an outright apocalypse. It's clear that Greci (The Wild Lands) knows his landscape--Alaska's beauty and natural hazards become their own vivid character in his handling--but the human cast suffers, reduced to basic characteristics (bossy, whiny, friendly, brainy), and an abrupt resolution glosses over many of the final details. Ages 12--up. Agent: Amy Tipton, Signature Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
Four teens stranded in the Alaskan wilderness find themselves sabotaging a foreign occupation.Rising high school senior and cross-country standout Josh is days away from leaving his mountainside leadership camp when an earthquake buries everything. Only Derrick, Brooke, and Shannonwho, like Josh, were away from the main campsurvive. When time passes and help doesn't arrive, the Fairbanks quartet sets off toward a distant town, hoping for rescue along the way. Early on, the text offers what readers would expect from Greci (The Wild Lands, 2019, etc.). Much like the environment it describes, Josh's play-by-play first-person narration is simultaneously stark and lush. The group learns to collaborate while staving off the threats of dehydration, starvation, animals, fire, injuries, and allergic reactions. Dialogue expands from curt to compelling, and characters balloon into distinct, believable personalities. Suddenly, about halfway through, the text takes a turn from slow-burn survival to plodding geopolitical intrigue. After the earthquake, a Russian army somehow invaded Alaska, subdued its population, and gained control of its nuclear arsenal. Those missiles are now trained on the Lower 48 states, and the American government must either acquiesce to Russian demands or nuke its own people. Can Josh and company demolish a bridge to help save not only themselves, but the entire free world? Excepting Shannon, who is Athabascan, protagonists are white. The concerns of Native people are treated in an offhand manner.An odd but ambitious cross-genre thriller in search of an ideal crossover reader. (Adventure. 12-17.) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.