The Speed of Falling Objects

At nearly 17, detail-oriented Danger Danielle Warren (“Danny”) is eager for an opportunity to connect with her celebrity survivalist father, Cougar. So, she ignores her reservations about dangerous conditions and wildlife and joins him on a trip to Peru to record an episode of his popular television show. The episode’s featured guest is teen heartthrob Gus Price, who travels along with Danny, Cougar, three crew members, and a seasoned pilot, but the trip quickly goes wrong when a storm causes the group to veer off course and crash-land in the jungle. The intensity of Danny’s quest to prove herself to her father, her resentment toward her mother, and insecurity about her own self-worth and abilities, in part due to internalized insecurities about the night that she lost the use of one eye, is heightened by the beauty and danger of the Amazon. Readers will be captivated by the ways in which each character’s true self is laid bare as their numbers dwindle, their carefully constructed masks falling aside to reveal their inner natures. Ages 13–up. [em](Oct.) [/em]