Tag Archives: survival

Damselfly by Chandra Prasad

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The novel, Damselfly is a retelling of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In this book we see a group of lacrosse players from a private high school, both boys and girls, crash down on a remote island while on their way to a tournament in Japan. Right away we see characters fall into the roles of Piggy, Ralph and Jack (but with new names). There is even a lake full on conchs to aid in the feeding and communication of the group. The force of evil in this novel seems to not only be the interaction between characters but an actual person, not among the group of students, who warns the group to “leave or die.” Like in Golding’s novel, the characters in Damselfly must form alliances and work to survive on this island.

Damselfly, was not original enough for me to feel invested in the book. As a former English teacher who taught The Lord of the Flies for over 10 years, I have to say that this retelling was a disappointment. I picked up the book, hoping for something crafty and creative – instead it felt way too predictable and easy for me to draw the connections between the two works. I think this book would be best received by teens who have not yet read The Lord of the Flies.

Lost in the Pacific, 1942

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Lost in the Pacific, 1942 retells a story of survival at sea during the second World War. The year was 1942, and the US was in heated battle with Japan for control of the Pacific ocean. This nonfiction survival and suspense story retells the events that led to the crash landing of a B-17 bomber into the Pacific ocean and the attempted survival and rescue of the crew and VIP passengers. This page turner provides facts about the aircraft, the crew, and the events both before and after the crash. The book is put together in a manner that makes it easy to follow and understand. Features include: table of contents, cast of characters – complete with photos of crew and passengers, maps and photos for historical context, glossary, author’s note and sources.

A Hundred Hours of Night

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This adventure centers on a 15 year old Dutch girl, Emilia, who steals her father’s credit card and flies to New York City to escape the scandal he has caused as her school. Her father, the headmaster, fell in love with a student and was caught sending inappropriate text messages to the girl. Emilia had planned everything perfectly before she ran away, from booking the flight, to renting an apartment on Craig’s List, to printing maps and directions. But there were things she did not foresee: the apartment posting was a scam. And things she could not foresee: Hurricane Sandy was heading straight for NYC.

Emilia fortunately is taken in for the night by the occupants of the bogusly-listed apartment, and she makes friends with the Seth, the son, and Abby, the daughter of the tenant (who herself is out of town), and their friend Jim. Together they ride out Hurricane Sandy that not only rattles the windows, but shakes the building itself, and knocks out the power for 100 hours (hence the title). The four teens and tweens are without social media, unable to reach their parents, and are forced to find ways to survive this natural disaster.

While the plot is unrealistic, and all amazingly ends well, A Hundred Hours of Night is still an enjoyable read that will appeal mostly to 5th – 10th graders who enjoy action and survival stories.

Irena’s Children: A True Story of Courage

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“ Irena’s Children” Young Readers Edition is a true story of courage written by Tilar J. Mazzeo and adapted by Mary Cronk Farrell.

This book is about Polish woman Irena and her acquaintances ( her co-workers and her friends), who helped more than 2,000 Jewish children survive during one of the worst times of  World War 2.  This incredible story set in Warsaw, Poland, when Germans hunt and tried to wipe out the Jewish nation: they herded all Jewish people into separate territories, and then send them away to labor camps, or killed them.  This territory is called ghetto.  It was an extremely horrible place, where dogs were valued more, than people by the Nazis. Author describes in details, how it looked like: ”… children in the ghetto with no shoes, no coats, their clothes in rags. That first night some seventy froze to death. Each morning, the dead lined the streets, piled naked and covered with old newsprint and stones. The threads they had worn were taken by the living, who desperately needed warmth.Rats gnawed at the corps. Bodies also lined the streets like garbage each morning after SS men used pedestrians for target practice.”   Also this story shows us, how people could be brave, strong and fearless, even like the moment, when Irena and all her friends got the children out of the ghetto, and helped in keep them safe in Aryan sector of the city.  They did this, even though they were risking their, their kids’ and families.  Another detail, the author shows us the desperation of the Jewish people, as they try to save their own and their kids’ life.  They did unbelievable things, just to keep hope and survive, even with slim odds: “…mother threw their babies over  the wall, never knowing  if anyone caught them and took them to safety.”, people and children jumped between the rooftops, went through city’s sewers, hid children in the coffins, snuck them under overcoat.  This book teaches us, that even in the most hopeless situation, we should never give up.

In my opinion, the book has some gruesome details, that make it hard to read in one sitting.  But this is a good reminder of our history.  That’s why I would recommend this book for middle and high schoolers as well, as for adults, who enjoy history.

– Marianna