Extreme Reading: Exploring Adventure and Survival Stories

We’re standing on top of Earth’s highest mountain!  We're 29,029 feet above sea level,  perched on the border of China and Nepal, braving the wind, the weather, and the harsh elements of a hostile and breathtaking land. This spring, Reading Road Trippers will be taking our reading to new heights, exploring adventure and survival stories guaranteed to have us sitting on the edges of our seats!

Let's get this Reading Road Trip started with a poem sharing an adventurous attitude at a very high altitude: On Top of the World, written by J. Patrick Lewis and performed at the Green Screen summit of Mt. Everest by RRT alumni Duncan C.

Far from the summit of Mt. Everest, Lafayette readers are washing ashore with Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. We’re following the page-turning adventure of Michael, swept off his family’s yacht and struggling to survive on a deserted Pacific island… until he finds he is not alone.

Reading Road Trippers are taking a walk on the wild side, exploring 1988 Newbery Honor winner Hatchet and other books in the Brian series by Gary Paulsen.

As winter melts into spring, we’re breezing through books from the I Survived… series. Each one of these wildly popular Reading Road Trip titles tells a thrilling story from history through the eyes of a young person who lived to tell the tale.

I Survived… The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863: Child slave Thomas and his sister Birdie journey north and meet Union soldiers who have orders to fight at Gettysburg.

I Survived… The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906: Ten-year-old Leo, a newsboy in 1906 San Francisco, finds himself stranded in the aftermath of disaster as the city crumbles and burns to the ground.

I Survived... The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 Informational Model by Sara P.

I Survived… The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912: Ten-year-old George Calder's life changes forever as he, little sister Phoebe, and Aunt Daisy set out across the ocean on the Titanic in 1912.

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Casey and Andrew

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Fact Poster by Kayla D. and Lilly M.

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Diorama by Zachary, Holden, and Eve

I Survived... The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 Green Screen Performance

by Jordan, Izzy, Ella, and Gianna

I Survived… The Shark Attacks of 1916: Chet Roscow, thrilled by stories of a great white shark lurking along the Atlantic coast, wonders if he sees the beast in the waters of Springfield, New Jersey.

I Survived... The Shark Attacks of 1916 Poster by Jhon and Rory

I Survived… The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941: Eleven-year-old Danny Crane witnesses the bombing of Pearl Harbor and must find his way home amidst the terror and chaos of the attack.

I Survived… The Attacks of September, 11, 2001: Lucas takes a train to New York City to talk to his dad's friend, a firefighter and former football player, on the day the Twin Towers are attacked.

I Survived... The Attacks of September 11, 2001 Model by Lea C-B.

I Survived... The Attacks of September 11, 2001 Poster by Caity B.

I Survived… Hurricane Katrina, 2005: Barry’s family prepares to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina hits, but when a little sister gets very sick, they are forced to stay home and face the storm.

I Survived... Hurricane Sandy

original poem by Eesha N.

I cried

Scared and sad, freaky and mad

Ugly sights all around

Ruined homes

Violence abounds

Intense force

Violent and ghoulish winds

Endless falling trees

Dark and eerie nights

Happy days were not in sight

Until we got our lights

Running around to a charging station

Running around to find gas

Ice was scarce, none in our freezer

Connections lost, flaring tempers

A generator in sight brought some smiles

Nice and warm showers

Ended cold nights

Stars were shining

All through the night

None seem bothered by our plight

Dancing and shimmering

Yellow and bright

Reading Road Trippers are checking out Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. In this contemporary autobiography, Bethany Hamilton shares the story of her love of surfing and how—with the help of family, friends, and faith—she recovered and returned to competition after losing her arm in a shark attack when she was thirteen years old.  Check out this exclusive RRT interview with Bethany Hamilton, written and performed by Anna B. and Olivia H.