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evnlibrarian 's review for:
I Am Still Alive
by Kate Alice Marshall
(Warning: Pretty big spoilers here)
It was a pretty good book, very much in the vein of Hatchet (the book is referenced in the story, though not by name) with enough differences (beyond the main character being a girl) to make it more than another survival story for the YA crowd. The first part of the book is set up combined with a back and forth flashback structured narrative to set up Jess being left out in the cold wilderness by herself. Our main character simply isn't very competent at first, and has to rely on a great deal of luck, her trusty dog and a few saving throws by her late father. I feel for some people that all would have been a bit too much but I actually didn't mind it. It is realistic and I could completely see myself making the same mistakes she makes. Plus even after she catches her 'big break' which I won't spoil here, she still has to learn to hunt and adapt and seeing her do that is interesting. I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more of her having to learn actually. Thinking about older books, I wonder if a story from a previous generation or two ago would have had long sections essentially acting as educational studies in how to smoke wild game? Ah well.
The ending wraps up violently though...I don't know. Well I'll end with one major spoiler that I suspect will make or break it for a few people I know:
With regards to the dog...
Bo does get the Old Yeller ending.
It was a pretty good book, very much in the vein of Hatchet (the book is referenced in the story, though not by name) with enough differences (beyond the main character being a girl) to make it more than another survival story for the YA crowd. The first part of the book is set up combined with a back and forth flashback structured narrative to set up Jess being left out in the cold wilderness by herself. Our main character simply isn't very competent at first, and has to rely on a great deal of luck, her trusty dog and a few saving throws by her late father. I feel for some people that all would have been a bit too much but I actually didn't mind it. It is realistic and I could completely see myself making the same mistakes she makes. Plus even after she catches her 'big break' which I won't spoil here, she still has to learn to hunt and adapt and seeing her do that is interesting. I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more of her having to learn actually. Thinking about older books, I wonder if a story from a previous generation or two ago would have had long sections essentially acting as educational studies in how to smoke wild game? Ah well.
The ending wraps up violently though...I don't know. Well I'll end with one major spoiler that I suspect will make or break it for a few people I know:
With regards to the dog...
Bo does get the Old Yeller ending.