  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 01/01/2017 In Scott’s middle-grade survival thriller, a blizzard cuts off the already isolated town of Rusic, Alaska, separating 12-year-old Sloan from her father, who is off visiting a neighboring town. Sloan is a capable hunter, good with a rifle, and knowledgeable about wildlife, but she is afraid of being alone. Many of Rusic’s residents are away with Sloan’s father, participating in an election, but those remaining are faced with dwindling fuel. When one of them is injured, they decide to take the river, a day’s walk away, to the doctor in Vernon. The icy weather isn’t the only danger, though; the wolves in the woods are starving from competing with humans for food, and Sloan and her companions become prey. Scott wisely focuses this intense, white-knuckle story on Sloan as she rediscovers her courage and confidence amid grueling physical and emotional trials, but other characters make similar journeys. Make no mistake, people (specifically adults) get eaten, but Sloan emerges from the woods “big and loud and brave.” An author’s note about her research on wolves is included. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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