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2009ieatbooks31's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kerriboland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I could easily recommend this book to a number of my students who are good readers and interested in survival. I didn’t find the plot as interesting as it could have been, nor did I find the characters fully believable. That said, as the mother of aT1D, I constantly think about how much insulin we have in the house. We certainly don’t keep a 3 month supply. Disasters terrify me in a while new way since her diagnosis (and I’ve always been terrified of earthquakes). 3 solid stars.
kncunnin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
grainofsuga's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
96 Miles
J. L. Esplin
96 Miles is a book about the Lockwood Brothers, John and Stew. John is the main POV.
There Dad is a hardcore survivalist. In their house they have stockpiled enough food and water to survive any power outage in the middle of the very hot Nevada Desert. Right? Well, when their father is away. Unfortunately, John and Stew are robbed in their house at gunpoint, and all of their survival gear is gone. They are forced to walk 96 Miles (hence the title) in the sun of Nevada to get some sort of help. The twist is that they only have three days before their time runs out, and they... you know... die.
In my opinion this book was pretty good. It had a great sibling dynamic between John and Stew, and just good friendship dynamics, as well. Just good dynamics over all throughout the whole book. That added the .5 stars for me.
Otherwise it was nothing special, and was pretty boring at times. It definitely felt like a middle-grade book compared to a young adult. Which makes sense, since it's a middle-grade. It was a cute, quick read, that would've been better with a couple queers and diversity.
Like every other book...
**Check the Trigger-Warnings**
Have a great day my guys, gals, and non-binary pals! <3
96 Miles
J. L. Esplin
96 Miles is a book about the Lockwood Brothers, John and Stew. John is the main POV.
There Dad is a hardcore survivalist. In their house they have stockpiled enough food and water to survive any power outage in the middle of the very hot Nevada Desert. Right? Well, when their father is away. Unfortunately, John and Stew are robbed in their house at gunpoint, and all of their survival gear is gone. They are forced to walk 96 Miles (hence the title) in the sun of Nevada to get some sort of help. The twist is that they only have three days before their time runs out, and they... you know... die.
In my opinion this book was pretty good. It had a great sibling dynamic between John and Stew, and just good friendship dynamics, as well. Just good dynamics over all throughout the whole book. That added the .5 stars for me.
Otherwise it was nothing special, and was pretty boring at times. It definitely felt like a middle-grade book compared to a young adult. Which makes sense, since it's a middle-grade. It was a cute, quick read, that would've been better with a couple queers and diversity.
Like every other book...
**Check the Trigger-Warnings**
Have a great day my guys, gals, and non-binary pals! <3
kparkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
beyondevak's review against another edition
5.0
Quick Summary: Outstanding in every way!
My Review: 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin is one of the most thought provoking middle grade books that I've come across this year. The book presents itself as a dystopian tale. Themes identified in the story included (but were not limited to): human behavior and the state of the mind related to survival of the fittest, tragic life choices, rites of passage, familial relationships, sacrifice, and the spirit of will.
My Final Say: I cannot say enough good things about this book. It has earned a spot on my favorites shelf. Read it for yourself; you will not regret doing so.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
#libraryread #HelenRuffinReadingBowl22-23
My Review: 96 Miles by J.L. Esplin is one of the most thought provoking middle grade books that I've come across this year. The book presents itself as a dystopian tale. Themes identified in the story included (but were not limited to): human behavior and the state of the mind related to survival of the fittest, tragic life choices, rites of passage, familial relationships, sacrifice, and the spirit of will.
My Final Say: I cannot say enough good things about this book. It has earned a spot on my favorites shelf. Read it for yourself; you will not regret doing so.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
#libraryread #HelenRuffinReadingBowl22-23
guineapigs95's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
destinysreads's review against another edition
4.25
I loved the story. It felt so refreshing. The sibling relationship felt realistic and sweet. I loved the bonding with the characters.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
This was a real page-turner adventure story. Lots to discuss: survival strategies, food/water scarcity, sibling roles and rivalry, coping skills and how people behave when things get hard.
Great for middle grade book clubs!!
Great for middle grade book clubs!!
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
John and Stew are home alone while their father is out of town on business. So far, so normal. But it means he's missing when the biggest blackout is history hits, taking out power for the whole state and maybe beyond. Now John finds himself in charge of his recalcitrant brother and two tagalongs as they try to reach help in time.
I know a bit about survival tactics (armchair interest, I don't own survival gear or supplies, please don't raid my house) and I have to agree, on one topic, with minor character Nate. Any good stockpile needs to be concealed for exactly the reasons shown here. A stockpile people know about is not going to be your stockpile for very long.
This is an interesting survival story, for all that the survival tactics are mostly made up of walking. I made a guess about Stew early on and was proven right about halfway through, which leads me to the only other problem I have with this book:
It involves a SPOILER, so I'm leaving a gap.
Last chance to give up!
Ok. John and Stew both act as though losing the generator means that all Stew's insulin is immediately unusable. Insulin is good for a month at room temperature. Granted, it's summer in Nevada, so maybe it would very quickly break down; I couldn't find exact information on line, but keeping the fridge closed with the insulin inside would have helped a little. I'm going to assume it's the summer heat thing, because if it's an attempt to add urgency, it's completely unnecessary and hamfistedly done; they're already on a deadline because they have very little food or water, they didn't need the extra added clock.
Apart from that, this is a very well written, tense story. John makes the occasional stupid mistake, but since he's...sixteen? Seventeen?...we can allow for that. Oddly, the moment that made him most recognisable to me was when, although he didn't really believe that his father would be able to make it back to them, he carefully cleaned and tidied his room just the way his father liked it. That tiny spark of hope made him feel very real.
A great read for survivalists, real or armchair. (Like me. Again, please don't raid me.)
I know a bit about survival tactics (armchair interest, I don't own survival gear or supplies, please don't raid my house) and I have to agree, on one topic, with minor character Nate. Any good stockpile needs to be concealed for exactly the reasons shown here. A stockpile people know about is not going to be your stockpile for very long.
This is an interesting survival story, for all that the survival tactics are mostly made up of walking. I made a guess about Stew early on and was proven right about halfway through, which leads me to the only other problem I have with this book:
It involves a SPOILER, so I'm leaving a gap.
Last chance to give up!
Ok. John and Stew both act as though losing the generator means that all Stew's insulin is immediately unusable. Insulin is good for a month at room temperature. Granted, it's summer in Nevada, so maybe it would very quickly break down; I couldn't find exact information on line, but keeping the fridge closed with the insulin inside would have helped a little. I'm going to assume it's the summer heat thing, because if it's an attempt to add urgency, it's completely unnecessary and hamfistedly done; they're already on a deadline because they have very little food or water, they didn't need the extra added clock.
Apart from that, this is a very well written, tense story. John makes the occasional stupid mistake, but since he's...sixteen? Seventeen?...we can allow for that. Oddly, the moment that made him most recognisable to me was when, although he didn't really believe that his father would be able to make it back to them, he carefully cleaned and tidied his room just the way his father liked it. That tiny spark of hope made him feel very real.
A great read for survivalists, real or armchair. (Like me. Again, please don't raid me.)