Disaster Trail

In this hi/lo verse novel, Grant (Three Shots) presents a harrowing survival adventure in which a teen must keep a calm head when disaster strikes. Thirteen-year-old white and Jewish Oliver Weiss is initially uncertain about his 25-year-old half sister Morgan, whom he’s previously only seen during short visits, moving into their father’s house to save money on rent. The two quickly bond over their shared love of milkshakes and excitement, though, and Morgan takes Oliver mountain biking around their northern Arizona home. Oliver is ecstatic about the new trail he discovers for them to traverse with the family dog Digby, but when the path ends unexpectedly with a steep series of switchbacks, the siblings find themselves stuck at the bottom of a canyon. Faced with an arduous climb out of the gorge, Oliver and Morgan steel themselves for the treacherous hike. Upon realizing that Morgan has sustained a sprained ankle, however, Oliver doubts his ability to get them safely out of the wilderness. Grant depicts the unfolding sibling relationship and Oliver’s burgeoning self-confidence with tenderness and heart, while unadorned first-person verse forefronts the situational complications, including coyotes and a lack of cell service. Ages 7–8. (Aug.)