96 Miles

By: J. L. Esplin

Narrated by: Robbie Daymond

For fans of Gary Paulsen’s classic Hatchet and Lauren Tarshis’s bestselling I Survived series, J. L. Esplin's 96 Miles is a story of survival and desperation as two young brothers confront the worst in humanity—and themselves.

Dad always said if things get desperate, it’s okay to drink the water in the toilet. I never thought it would come to that. I thought I’d sooner die than let one drop of toilet water touch my lips. Yet here I am, kneeling before a porcelain throne, holding a tin mug for scooping in one hand, and my half-gallon canteen in the other.

The Lockwood brothers are supposed to be able to survive anything. Their dad, a hardcore believer in self-reliance, has stockpiled enough food and water at their isolated Nevada home to last for months. But when they are robbed of all their supplies during a massive blackout while their dad is out of town, John and Stew must walk 96 miles in the stark desert sun to get help. Along the way, they’re forced to question their dad’s insistence on self-reliance and ask just what it is that we owe to our neighbors, our kin, and to ourselves.

From talented newcomer J. L. Esplin comes this story of survival and determination as two young brothers confront the unpredictability of human nature in the face of desperate circumstances.

A Macmillan Audio production from Starscape

Intense

Great action packed read. Clean read for middle school age that will also teach them a few things a topic or two.

Loved it

I thought this was very well written. I loved the characters and all of their adventures. Yes this story would be great for a the middle school and high school crowd, but I really enjoyed reading a suspenseful, well written story that wasn't full of bad language or explicit sex scenes. It doesn't need that stuff! The story never drags. It's entertaining and surprising. I hope the author writes more stories like this. I'll be a following fan.

Making state book lists for a reason

Wow!

From page one J. L. Esplin keeps you on the edge of your seat with captivating characters in desperate circumstances. It’s a survival suspense-thriller that is a perfect read or listen aloud for tweens/teens.

The narrator does a stellar job and fans of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet will not be disappointed.

Looking forward to seeing more books by this very talented author.

Wonderful YA book

96 miles takes place in the middle of nowhere Nevada. It's not really a dystopian future, it is more of a disaster that shuts down society (the parameters of the disaster are unclear, but not really important). Its main characters are children, though they do have to deal with some unsavory adults. The author takes a bad situation, thinks of what could be worse, and then writes about that! I appreciated the diabetic character. I think this would hold middle grade students' attention very well! I enjoyed it too!

I’m a 7th grader and i was doing this for a book report

I chose this book bc I didn’t know which one and at first i thought it was bad. When i started to get into the book more it got rlly suspenseful and tbh it was a great book! I hope more writers make more of these books. I could also relate to John a l bit bc he’s the same age as me and yeh but 10/10!