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    Lost in the River of Grass
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    Lost in the River of Grass
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    Lost in the River of Grass
    Ebook222 pages3 hours

    Lost in the River of Grass

    By Ginny Rorby

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "I don't realize I'm crying until he glances at me. For a moment, I see the look of anguish in his eyes, then he blinks it away and slips off into the water. I immediately think of the gator. It's still down there somewhere. . . ."

    A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren’t exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an air boat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2014
    ISBN9781467768061
    Unavailable
    Lost in the River of Grass
    Author

    Ginny Rorby

    Young adult novelist Ginny Rorby is the author of Dolphin Sky (Putnam, 1996), Hurt Go Happy (Tor Books, 2006), The Outside of a Horse (Dial Books, 2010) and Lost in the River of Grass (Lerner Books, March 2011). Dolphin Sky was nominated for the Keystone Reading Award. Hurt Go Happy was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Scholastic Book Fair selection, has been nominated for reading awards in six states, and won the ALA 2008 Schneider Family Book Award. The Outside of a Horse is a Scholastic Book Fair selection, and Lost in the River of Grass is a Junior Library Guild selection. Ginny was raised in Winter Park, Florida, and lived in Miami during her career as a Pan American flight attendant. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Miami, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. Her goal, after wrapping up her flying career and her graduate studies, was to move someplace where she would never be hot again. She now lives on the chilly coast of northern California with her thirty-year-old parrot and way too many cats. Ginny was co-director of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference for nine years and continues her involvement with this 22-year-old institution. She served as President of the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society for seven years, was on the board of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, is past president of the Point Cabrillo Lightkeeper's Association, and continues to serve on the PCLK board of directors.

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    Reviews for Lost in the River of Grass

    4/5

    37 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Quick, heart pumping read. Very well done adventure survival story about a girl who gets stranded in the Everglades with a boy she just met. They have to walk out, on their own, with minimal food and water supply. The 14 year old girl's voice was believable and not one extreme (super angsty teenagery) or the other (emotionless, hard). She rang true to me and I enjoyed her perspective.

    • 5/5
      This book is about growing up, friendship, love, adventure, love of nature, discovering one's potential and much more.The plot and setting work together in creating a gripping story right from the start. The reader is at first slowly and gently introduced to the Everglades through the school trip, but then, once Sarah and Andy land at the camp, we are thrown right in with the gators and water moccasins. Descriptions of this wild, dangerous but beautiful nature are incredibly well done. It shows that the author knows what she's writing about; the details create an overwhelmingly real setting and I shivered more than once at the vivid images of dangerous animal encounters or pure grossness. The fact that most of the story focuses on only two characters gave the author the opportunity to really explore their characters and show their growth. She achieved this better with Sarah whose development and realizations are evident, while Andy - while well-rounded and complex - feels a bit static. Perhaps the biggest change in him can be seen in his relationship with his dad and in his act of tearing down the flag. Sarah, on the other hand, goes from feeling miserable and lost and trying to fit in (almost) at all cost to discovering her true self and her abilities and advantages.It could be argued that Sarah's four stylish and rich classmates, also known as the AABCs (two Amandas, Brittany and Courtney), are shown as one-dimensional caricatures, but they only appear on the first few pages and thus function more as the catalyst for Sarah's story to begin than real characters. Nonetheless, Rorby could develop them better.This is a book that really draws you in from the first page on and doesn't let you go till the very last. Sarah is a character one can easily identify with and then journey with her through the tangled pathways of the Everglades and of that scary world of growing up. I imagine, on many levels, the AABCs are just as scary as a water moccasin.
    • 3/5
      This was a great survival story told from a female point of view, something you don't see too often in children's literature. I was fascinated by the natural environment of the setting. Ms. Rorby did an excellent job describing the flor and fauna of the Everglades. I am quite sure that I would not want to come face to face with many of the creatures they encounter on they adventure. The descriptions made is very realistic.
    • 4/5
      Review copy from Lerner Publishing/Carolrhoda BooksSurvival in the Florida Everglades! Sarah is a scholarship student at a high-priced private school, and she is on a weekend biology field trip into the Everglades. She doesn't fit in with the wealthy, snobby "swamp Barbies" on the trip, and manages to stay back from an excursion for one morning. When she meets Andy, who is normal and kind to her, she agrees to go for an airboat ride with him, thinking they will be back before her school group returns. One minor miscalculation, and the airboat sinks, leaving the two stranded miles into the Everglades, with little food and a bottle of Gatorade. They face walking out through swamps and tall sawgrass, filled with mosquitoes, wild animals and hungry gators. Sarah must use everything she knows and depend upon someone she barely knows in order to survive. Realistic, with many mistakes and weak moments (like when Andy confesses he couldn't stop himself from drinking the last of the Gatorade), but hopeful... this is about finding out how much further you can go when you think you have nothing left. 6th grade and up.
    • 5/5

      This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

      Cover Impressions: Not a huge fan of the cover. Don't get me wrong, the alligator on a whole new level of scary, but there is something with the title and the font that makes this feel like a homemade job.

      The Gist: Feeling like an outcast on a school trip to the Everglades, Sarah fakes sick in order to explore the swamp with Andy, a local boy. When a simple mistake leaves them stranded, they begin the harrowing trek back to civilization, facing the Everglades in all their danger and splendor.

      Review: I was immensely surprised by this novel. In fact, I read it in a day. Were it not for the disruptions of my 9 mth old, I probably would have read it in one sitting without so much as a bathroom break.

      Rorby has created characters that are undeniably realistic. They are flawed, impatient and self-absorbed in a way that only teenagers can be. At the beginning of the book, Sarah is painfully lonely and attempts to simply keep her head down and avoid the mockery of her classmates. She is afraid of everything in the swamp and whines incessantly. By the end, however, she has proven her bravery time and time again and come to appreciate the beauty of the swamp (despite the fact that nearly everything in it wanted to eat her!). Andy has lived his whole life in the Everglades. He is very typical of any teenage boy - risking the ire of his parents in order to impress a pretty girl. Despite his willingness to take charge, he falters several times and leaves Sarah certain that she must orchestrate her own rescue.

      The characters are well written, but where Rorby really shines is in the plot and the pacing. This is a novel that never left me bored. The moments where Sarah and Andy came into (far too close) contact with the wildlife of the Everglades were always tense and often terrifying. To say that I was absorbed in the story would be an understatement as I found myself holding my breath for many of these encounters and praying that the characters (and Teapot) would come out unscathed.

      One of the issues that I had at the beginning of the novel was that no real physical description of Sarah was provided. Without these details, I was forced to pull her image together on my own. Towards the end of the novel, however, it is revealed that Sarah is black and that clearly, this information was withheld on purpose. This information sheds new light onto several scenes from earlier in the book and elevates this novel from one that merely celebrates two young people's strength and instinct to survive, to one that challenges preconceptions and forces the reader to examine their own worldview.

      Lost in the River of Grass should appeal to both male and female teen readers (and adults of course) and would provide an excellent jumping off point for discussion of bias, presumption and how new information can change how a story is viewed.

      Teaching/Parental Notes:

      Age: 12 and up
      Gender: Both
      Sex: Kissing
      Violence: Animal attacks
      Inappropriate Language: Asses
      Substance Use/Abuse: Discussion of marijuana use
    • 4/5
      This review was originally published on my blog: The Reading Fever.This can't really happen, this can't really happen, there's no way! This can't.... This is what I found myself muttering over and over in my mind, as I read Lost in the River of Grass. It seemed impossible, what these characters went through. I was even compiling a list at the back of my mind of things I would Google to verify if they were possible. I mean, things like what I read in this book can't possibly happen! As it turns out, though, they can; and it didn't take Google to convince me of that.In the book, the reader is taken along as Sarah and Andy work together to survive the Everglades...and believe me: this is about survival! We get to be there as they encounter gators, snakes, wild boars, and are put in many dangerous circumstances. We get to watch as they help each other grow and adapt; an element of the story I think Rorby did remarkably well. I even enjoyed Andy's character, though I initially saw him as a bit of a jerk. In the end I was grateful for that, because he acted like a normal 15-year-old boy. I praise Rorby for not writing a character who was 15, going on 25 (thank you!).I don't remember the point where I stopped caring if a survival tactic was viable or not, or whether an animal would really react the way the author portrays. I lost all sense of disbelief in this crash-course to the everglades, somewhere between swimming the gator holes and seeing the wild boars. Rorby's writing has an element of truth to it that made everything in this book seem personal, somehow. Reading it was like sitting at grandma's knee, listening to her tell a true story from her past...only this one involves saw grass and swamp trekking. Rorby definitely showed her survival know-how, and earned trust in my eyes. And the fact that reading about it all brought out every phobic tendency I've ever had, made no difference. I was enthralled.Admittedly, I almost didn't give this book a second chance after putting it down after the first few chapters. It began a little choppy, and I wasn't very attached to the characters. But when I did pick it up again, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, and ended up finishing it in one sitting. I think I found it hard to read in the beginning because Lost in the River of Grass isn't filled with long, flowing prose. Neither does it use huge words, or attempt to captivate with an out-of-this-world love story. Truth-be-told, it doesn't flaunt many things besides the character's reactions to the dangerous environment around them. But it's that very environment, and their reactions to it, that will suck you in, glue your hand to this book, and make you simultaneously cringe, while speeding up your reading to discover what is next.I highly suggest Lost in the River of Grass!Oh, and think this couldn't really happen? This quote is directly from Ginny Rorby's website:"Lost in the River of Grass is based on the true story of my husband’s ill-fated trip to the Everglades with his then girlfriend in his airboat. While they were ‘visiting’ one of the hunting camps in the Everglades, the airboat sank. It took them three days to walk out. I wrote the original story of that ordeal for Fort Lauderdale’s Gulf Coast magazine, published in the late 1990s."*I was given a copy of this book for review, courtesy of Netgalley.com.
    • 3/5
      This was another really good one! I must say I didn't really expect to like it...I hate snakes and creatures that crawl and slither and the thought of hanging out in the Everglade absolutely does me in...well that was a great way for me to begin this story! Sarah is the poor scholarship kid at an elite high school (her mom is one of the lunch ladies) and everyone knows that she doesn't fit in...everyone but her parents who have done all they can to get her into the school. So, when she decides she wants to go on an overnight science trip to the Everglades they happily let her go. As soon as the snooty kids arrive at the camp Sarah notices Andy - working on some cars in the parking lot -and a little flirting gets her an invitation to a ride on his airboat the next day. She fakes a stomach ache and the two set off. Ater a stop at a hunting cabin they make an AWFUL discovery...After washing out the boat that morning Andy neglected to replace the plug in the bottom of the boat and it sank!! So - they are stranded at a hunting camp with nothing but the clothes on their backs and 10+ miles of Everglade swamp between them and civilization. There are tears, yelling, accusations and then cold, hard reality. Sarah is scared - petrified - of everything. Andy is very knowledgable, but he is also a kid who has always had an adult (a semi-abusive) father in charge. Oh yeah, and they had rescued a baby duck when Sarah killed off the mother with the airboat. That is how they start. When they are rescued three days later they are not the same. Sarah's fear has turned to rock hard determination and Andy's surety has been tempered by reality. But - most of all they are friends. This is more than a story of survival. It's more than a story of friendship. It's more than a coming of age novel. It's a great combination of all three with a healthy dose of respect for a disappearing spot on our national landscape. It is also based on a true story...that seems to add to it...from Ginny Rorby's website... Lost in the River of Grass is based on the true story of my husband’s ill-fated trip to the Everglades with his then girlfriend in his airboat. While they were ‘visiting’ one of the hunting camps in the Everglades, the airboat sank. It took them three days to walk out. I wrote the original story of that ordeal for Fort Lauderdale’s Gulf Coast magazine, published in the late 1990s.It's a great read for reluctant nature lovers!
    • 5/5
      Ginny Rorby has crafted a story that will catch the attention of the most reluctant reader and hold them until the end. When a student feels out of place by her classmates while on a field trip, she makes a decision that could have devastating consequences. Upon entering the Everglades with her class, her immediate thoughts are how desolate and ugly it is. Her science teacher’s hope is that his students will come to love the Everglades as much as he does. As Sarah and her new friend Andy do their best to survive and walk out of the Everglades Sarah discovers a beauty that she had not seen before. This story resonated with me so much. Since I live about two and a half hours north of the Everglades I have had the opportunity to visit many times. My first trip through, I was terrifying. I thought only of the alligators that filled the canals on each side of the highway. I wanted only to take an airboat ride because it looked like fun. I actually took two rides on that trip. The first was a fast paced jaunt through the saw grass. We went so fast I couldn’t focus on anything. My next ride was with a group who really cared about teaching people about the Everglades. We would go a few feet and he would point out birds and flowers. I saw such a raw beauty. I’ve walked through some of the swamp. Now before you think I have totally lost it let me say that I am not sure I would survive on my own if lost in the Everglades. There are so many dangers. This book was spot on when it came to pointing out the various dangers. The research was very accurate when it came to survival tips as well. This is one book I think every school in Florida should have on their shelves. My reasons go beyond the lessons to be learned about the Everglades. The story has an underlying theme about fitting in and being different. I think it is something every child could identify with. I will proudly promote this to my students this next year.