15 Secrets to Survival

By: Natalie D. Richards

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

New York Times bestselling author Natalie D. Richards's middle grade debut about a group of four classmates forced to navigate the wilderness for an extra credit project with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook—and each other—to save them.

When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson break a school rule, they’re forced to travel to the middle of nowhere for an extra credit project. They think things can’t get much worse. After all, how will learning to survive in the wilderness help them stay out of trouble in school?


What starts off as a weekend of team building takes a scary turn when their instructor goes missing and they are given nothing but pages of a survival guide to complete a series of challenges.

They soon learn the woods around them have unexpected surprises. Will they discover a way to work together to find their teacher and overcome the dangers of winter in the mountains?



A recommended choice for classroom discussions on earth science and educators looking for survival books for kids.

Critic reviews

"Excellent characterization, rich details, and an exciting setting bring every harrowing adventure to life as the kids learn the value of working together, and the value of one another’s strengths and passions." —School Library Journal

"The narrative presents believable moments of danger infused with the protagonists’ unwillingness to cooperate and a well-crafted realization of individual strengths, weaknesses, and friendship....Both exciting and revelatory." —Kirkus Reviews

"[A] fast-paced adventure that features a charging moose, potential hypothermia, and plenty of friendship drama." —Publishers Weekly

"Nature lovers and puzzle solvers alike will delight in this middle-grade adventure story." —Booklist

Target audience?

4 preteen girls (or girl equivalents) from an alternative school are “punished” for bitchy comments by a semi-chaperoned wilderness/winter escapade.
I bought in to this book because my son did a very similar team quiz contest (8th grade Beta club, but they kept winning until 2nd place in the nation!) and he used to follow treasure maps/discovery games (like escape-room or breakout games. Except he was 4-6 years old when he outgrew it and converted to geocaching, soccer and cubscouting).

Our first-person protagonist is written like a neutered girl and read as a queer boy. “He” seems preoccupied with adult approval neediness yet repels everyone with constant petulance.
The characters lack maturity and humor for their age—Natalie seems to be commenting on how screen-raised and sheltered kids get retarded. The nature of their alternative school isn’t fleshed out but seems expensive and urban with liberal indoctrination implied. Maybe a counterpart to the short bus of public schools.
I’m not spoiling much existential plot. Some creepy very old guy sets them seemingly adrift with a 18 month old toddler in wintery Montana (somehow only a few hours away from New Jersey or similar urbane womb-like abode). “Breakout” clues with a “Stupid and Afraid” analogy. They learn lessons as

Everything about the story is great

I lived everything about the story. I encourage young adults to read this. Plus 10-11 year olds.

Awesome

Amazing book we loved it. Great stories and great characters. Great plot. Great audio readers.