Escape Through The Wilderness, Gary Rodriquez

This book is a great book for upper elementary age students or middle school aged. The characters are all teenage children which makes it more appealing for the younger group to read. A story of survival and fear begins when four teenage students go on an overnight rafting expedition that ends in tragedy. The children and their guide are in an accident that ends with the guide being swept down river and the children alone. 25 miles from camp, lost in the dark woods and haunted by campfire stories of a terrible creature known as Vexel the kids must come together to survive. As seems to happen when tragedy strikes, an unlikely hero arises in the form of Savi, a 16 year old girl. This story is a tale of harrowing proportions. The children face unspeakable odds and faith pulls them through. If they were not friends before they became friends during the ordeal. Rodriquez has written a fast moving very interactive book that will draw the reader into the story.