Extreme Reading: Adventure and Survival Stories

From the New Hampshire woods to the Oregon coast; from Mt. Everest's summit to Atlantic Ocean depths; from ancient Pompeii to modern-day Japan, Reading Road Trippers are exploring a collection of adventure and survival stories guaranteed to keep readers on the edges of their seats!

First Impressions, Loyalty, and Courage:  In A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements, Hardy Elementary School’s annual week-long camping trip in the New Hampshire woods tests fifth-grader Mark's survival skills—and his ability to relate to Mr. Maxwell, a teacher who seems to think that Mark is a rich, know-it-all slacker. 

Adventure on the Oregon Coast: Escaping the Giant Wave by Peg Kehret.  When an earthquake creates a tsunami while thirteen-year-old Kyle is babysitting his sister during a family vacation at a Pacific Coast resort, he tries to save himself, his sister, and a boy who has bullied him for years.  Let's read an acrostic poem inspired by the book:

Escaping the Giant Wave by Michaela F.

Entertaining

Scary

Crazy

Adventures

Popular

Interesting

Nature

Great

Tsunami

Happy

Everyone likes it

Gigantic wave

Important

Awesome book

Never boring

Terrifying

Wave

Awesome

Very good

Exciting

Escaping the Giant Wave by nick V.

Explore Four Page-Turning Series from Gordon Korman:

In Dive Book One: The Discovery, four young research divers find themselves seeking centuries-old treasure and fending off killer sharks during a summer internship.

In Everest: In Book One: The Contest, Four climbers, winners of an American Junior Alpine Association contest, vie to become the youngest person ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Everest Word Search by Peter and Will.

In Island Book One: Shipwreck, six children struggle to survive on a Pacific island after a storm destroys their boat.

In Titanic Book One: Unsinkable, the lives of four young passengers—Paddy, Sophie, Juliana, and Alphie—become fatefully linked aboard the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.

Backwoods Adventure: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness, learning to survive with the aid of a hatchet given to him by his mother.  With no time for self-pity or despair, Brian's survival experience also begins to teach him how to deal with his parents' divorce. 

Take a look at an author interview created by Gio and Peter:

Traveling the Timeline of History with the I Survived… series by Lauren Tarshis: Each one of these wildly popular Reading Road Trip titles tells an adventure and survival story from history through the eyes of a young person who lived to tell the tale. 

Inspired by the I Survived... series, 

Amy, Anna, Annie, and Cami created an author interview:

I Survived… The Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79: When Mt. Vesuvius explodes into a cloud of fiery ash and rocks rain from the sky, will Marcus and his father have time to escape the epic destruction of Pompeii?  

Check out this Reading Road Trip author interview, produced by Peter and Will:

 Peyton and Justin created an I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii 

author interview project:

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.

Ryan and Michael offered up an I Survived author interview:

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. 

Reading Road Trip Diorama by Ava.

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.

Abby, Maddie, and Clare created an I Survived RRT project:

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.

Here's a RRT author interview, featuring Annie, Victoria, and friends:

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Casey O.

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 Nazi Invasion, 1944:  Max and Zena Rosen escape from their Polish ghetto, joining with the Jewish resistance in the fight against the Nazis.

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.

Abigail, Clare, and Maddy created an author interview:

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.  Here's another acrostic poem, one that makes a real-life connection to our adventure and survival books:

I Survived Hurricane Sandy 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

I Survived… The Japanese Tsunami, 2011: While visiting his deceased father's hometown in Japan, Ben and his family are swept away by a devastating tsunami, leaving him stranded and alone in a far-from-home country.  Check out a Reading Road Trip diorama depicting the oncoming tsunami:

Diorama created by Colleen and Olivia.