The Wild Lands

(Paperback)

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Description

When a collapsing U.S. government abandoned an Alaska ravaged by earthquakes and wildfires, Travis's family chose not to evacuate. Too late, they realized their mistake. Now Travis and his younger sister Jess must cross hundreds of miles to head south, in search of what remains of civilization. The wilderness they're crossing is filled with ravenous animals and strangers competing for dwindling resources. Travis and Jess will make a few friends and a lot of enemies on their terrifying journey-and they'll have to fight for what they believe in as they see how far people will go to survive. This pulse-pounding thriller, full of shocking plot twists, reads like a zombie story without the zombies-just hardscrabble survivors competing for society's remains.

Reviews

"This fast-paced book contains all the hallmarks of a classic wilderness survival novel (deadly terrain, vicious predators, literal cliff-hangers) and the best of the postapocalyptic genre ... The author's decades of Alaskan wilderness experience is evident throughout ... A great high-stakes wilderness survival tale." --School Library Journal

"Heart-thumping suspense for readers who liked Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave." --Booklist

"This rugged survival story places a group of teens in a dark, burned-out post-apocalyptic nightmare. Your heart will pound for them as they face terrible dangers and impossible odds. Gripping, vivid, and haunting!" -- Emmy Laybourne, international bestselling author of the Monument 14 trilogy

"A compelling story that wouldn't let me stop reading. Greci has created both a frightening landscape and characters you believe in and want to survive it." -- Eric Walters, author of the bestselling Rule of Three series

"A brutal vision of things to come. Greci delivers an apocalyptic odyssey that's honest, relentless, and backed by his firsthand knowledge of the wilderness." -- Lex Thomas, author of the Quarantine series

"Heart-racing... A rugged wilderness lover's post-disaster survivalist tale." --Kirkus Reviews

"Raw and accessible. Offering hints of Hatchet with markedly more manmade danger." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The themes of teamwork, choice and free will are incredibly well done ... an intense and thrilling ride." --TeenReads.com

Author Bio

Living in Alaska for over twenty-five years, Paul Greci has seen bears fishing for salmon, a pair of bald eagles building a nest, and polar bears gnawing on a whale carcass. Paul's debut middle-grade adventure/survival novel, Surviving Bear Island, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Scholastic Reading Club Pick, came out in March 2015 from Move Books. Besides teaching as a profession, Paul has also worked as a field biology technician in remote corners of Alaska, a backpacking trip leader for teens, a teacher, and a naturalist for several outdoor education programs. When he's not writing or teaching, Paul spends lots of time exploring the Alaskan wilderness on foot and by kayak.