Here are our favorite survival stories for teens in middle school. These titles are classified as Teen Middle School (TM) and can be found in the Teen section of the library. |
|
|
|
Against the Odds: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906
by Krista Surprenant
Fifteen-year-old Chen finds himself in the middle of the deadliest earthquake in US history and wonders if he'll ever see his family or beloved Chinatown again, in a fictional story inspired by true events.
|
|
|
|
One Wrong Step
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Twelve-year-old Atlas Wade has been climbing mountains for years, but after being forced to stay behind as his father joins a team of Mount Everest climbers, he sees an avalanche trapping his father's expedition, then--along with their Sherpa Chodak and an American girl, Maddie--Atlas begins a perilous journey to rescue the team.
|
|
|
|
Wolves at the Door
by Steve Watkins
August 1944. Asta, her younger sister Pieta, and their mother are caught between the invading Soviet Army and the retreating Wehrmacht in East Prussia and are forced to try and survive in the Romincka Forest with winter coming.
|
|
|
|
Off the Map
by Meika Hashimoto
Marlo does not know why her best friend Amos suddenly turned against her, but it makes the canoe trip their parents have arranged difficult--especially when a wrong turn sends them over a waterfall, and the two of them and the dog Cheerio are suddenly struggling for survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
|
|
|
|
Just Keep Walking
by Downing, Erin Soderberg
While on a 100-mile hike along Lake Superior with their entire lives stuffed into a pair of 30-lb packs, 12-year-old Jo and her mom rediscover their strength, build resilience and prove they can
survive-- both for themselves and for each other.
|
|
|
|
Alone
by Megan E. Freeman
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She's alone--left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or Internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own, her only companions being a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. Told in verse format.
|
|
|
|
The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
by Katherine Marsh
When his great-grandmother comes to stay with them during the pandemic, 13-year-old Matthew discovers a photo in her belongings that reveals a life-shattering family secret, in this brilliant survival story set in alternating timelines that connects the present day to 1930s Soviet Ukraine.
|
|
|
|
How to Stay Invisible
by Maggie Rudd
Abandoned by his parents, Raymond makes his home in a cramped hollow tree in the woods near his school, keeping it a secret until his survival depends not only on his wilderness skills but on the people and animals he chooses to trust.
|
|
|
|
Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust
by Renâee G. Hartman
Told in a vivid “oral history” format, this riveting memoir recounts the story of Renee and Herta, two sisters who, communicating in sign language and relying on each other for strength, fought to survive the darkest of times together.
|
|
|
|
The Amazon
by Roland Smith
When their scientist mom who works to save endangered species is kidnapped during a research trip to the Amazon rainforest, Ring and Asia Wilde must put their survival skills to good use as they navigate the jungle to rescue her.
|
|
|
|
It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit
by Justin A. Reynolds
When the electricity goes out, twelve-year-old Eddie and his friends set out to investigate what is going on when they make the startling discovery that they are the only ones left in their neighborhood--and perhaps the only people left anywhere.
|
|
|
|
Two Degrees
by Alan Gratz
While each experiencing three climate disasters, four kids discover they are connected in shocking ways that could alter their destinies forever, in this edge-of-your-seat adventure tackling the urgent topic of climate change.
|
|
|
|
Escape from Chernobyl
by Andy Marino
Two young siblings flee the Chernobyl disaster with their parents, but the Communist party is on their heels. Meanwhile, the friends and family they were forced to leave behind must contend with a disinformation campaign that's determined to pretend nothing is wrong-even as deadly radiation spills into the air.
|
|
|
|
Northwind
by Gary Paulsen
Forced to take to the water after a deadly plague wipes out his fishing village, Leif connects to the heartbeat of the ocean and the pulse of the landscape as he discovers his truest self.
|
|
|
|
Out of Range
by Heidi Lang
Forced by their parents to attend a nature camp, three sisters, once best friends but now mortal enemies, must rely on each other to survive when they find themselves lost and alone in the wilderness.
|
|
|
|
Lifeboat 12: Based on a True Story
by Susan Hood
In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed.
|
|
|
|
Swallow's Dance
by Wendy Orr
Leira is training to be a priestess, but after an earthquake on her island forces her and her family to flee to Crete, there is a volcanic eruption that destroys the island and a tsunami that throws Crete into chaos, as she and her mother struggle to survive.
|
|
|
|
Hideout
by Watt Key
Sam uses the fishing boat his policeman father gave him to explore the bayou where he discovers Davey, a boy who is mysteriously hiding out in an abandoned shack.
|
|
|
|
A World Below
by Wesley King
Mr. Baker's eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, but their journey takes a terrifying turn when an earthquake hits and the students are plunged into a frigid underground lake, forcing them to fight for survival and find their way back above ground.
|
|
|