(3) 4-6 After moving to a remote Colorado town, Arlo joins the Rangers scouting troop and learns about the hidden magic of nearby Long Woods. Arlo builds confidence and friendships through the Rangers, but when supernatural phenomena strike, he and his troop must work together to make it back home. This intriguing combination of traditional scouting story and supernatural mystery lays the groundwork for future adventures.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) YA When astronomy-loving seventeen-year-old Zorie Everhart joins a "glamping" trip in Northern California, she gets stranded in the wilderness with her former best friend/crush Lennon Mackenzie. Luckily, he has survival skills, and over challenging terrain and under meteor showers, Zorie and Lennon rekindle their relationship and divulge family secrets. Romance and survival are entwined with issues of divorce and betrayal in this appealing realistic novel.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Essence's marijuana-shop-worker mother is usually high, leaving Essa in charge of her little sister, Puck. Essa and Puck's lives are forever changed when a mysterious boy from Chicago, Oliver, arrives in Boulder, Colorado. Essa's interest in Zen Buddhism gives her strength once the story veers into wilderness-survival terrain. This story is at once a keep-you-guessing mystery and an affectionate portrait of liberal, outdoorsy Boulder culture.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(3) PS In this wordless, oversize picture book, a sleeping child's dream comes to life in sweeping, intricate full-spread illustrations. Cityscapes give way to a wilderness when animal characters from the child's bedtime story head out on a Sendak-reminiscent wild rumpus; from the tantalizing open windows to a sky full of twinkling stars and a forest lush with curling plants, this Italian import is a visual delight.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) 4-6 Survivor Diaries series. When twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are caught in an avalanche on a skiing trip in Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains, Ashley's quick-thinking and instinctual decision-making help them survive. On a sixth-grade geocaching field trip in New Mexico, former best friends Jen and Martin must rely on each other when they're separated from their class during a dust storm. These well-paced and easy-to-read wilderness stories integrate real survival techniques; region-specific tips are also appended. Review covers these Survivor Diaries titles: Avalanche! and Dust Storm!.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Survivor Diaries series. When twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are caught in an avalanche on a skiing trip in Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains, Ashley's quick-thinking and instinctual decision-making help them survive. On a sixth-grade geocaching field trip in New Mexico, former best friends Jen and Martin must rely on each other when they're separated from their class during a dust storm. These well-paced and easy-to-read wilderness stories integrate real survival techniques; region-specific tips are also appended. Review covers these Survivor Diaries titles: Avalanche! and Dust Storm!.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) YA "This is a victim impact statement." Readers immediately learn the victim is thirteen-year-old Lizzie but not the precise circumstances of her situation. What is known is that Lizzie spent the summer in the Adirondacks with Uncle Davy and her friend Matias, who has proportional dwarfism. Cliffhanging chapter endings hint there's always more to be told, as Lizzie's voice, alternating between stream-of-consciousness and emotional outbursts, invites readers to participate in structuring this powerful narrative.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) YA Social-media sensation Mari leaves behind her shallow online identity to fulfill her deceased cousin Bri's dream of hiking the entire John Muir Trail. Despite having Bri's equipment and written plans, eighteen-year-old Mari is ill-prepared for trail life but learns quickly, helped by sympathetic fellow hikers who become friends. While Mari's experiences sometimes stretch credulity, her growth and introspection about living authentically should resonate with teens.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) YA Leaving behind a volatile life in West Virginia, Rilla arrives in Yosemite to stay with her park-ranger half-sister. Rilla's out of her element but is eventually drawn to a group of rock climbers, including competitive Petra, confident Adeena, and intense Walker. Rilla determines to prove herself capable--of climbing El Capitan and of controlling her own story--in this appealing coming-of-age drama. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) YA After her mother's death, Jess Cooper moves in with her estranged father, who lives off the grid in remote Canada. When her dad is murdered by intruders from his shady past, who then burn down their cabin, Jess finds herself stranded in the wilderness with only Dad's dog as a companion. Despite the dark and harrowing circumstances, readers will relate to Jess's strong and determined character.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Ranger Rick Kids' Guides series. These books present detailed guides for children who may have little experience with the titular outdoor recreations. Each uses a how-to format with step-by-step instructions; useful tips; and basic information related to sites, gear, food preparation, and activities. Illustrations, photos, and diagrams extend the readable texts on cleanly designed pages. Each book includes a working compass. Ind. Review covers these titles: Kids' Guide to Fishing, Kids' Guide to Paddling, Kids' Guide to Hiking, and Kids' Guide to Camping.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) YA Aspiring journalist Adrienne and her stepfather travel to Siberia to find a legendary family of Siberian hermits. Disaster strikes, and Adrienne is held captive by the very family about which she planned to write. Irreverent humor brings levity to Adrienne's predicament and plan to escape by seducing the Osinovs' younger son. A suspenseful plot pairs with incisive commentary on the ethics of telling others' stories.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Maddie's first camping trip turns downright terrifying when the gory campfire stories start coming true one by one. As Maddie and company fight to survive, they uncover one another's deepest secrets, indicating that perhaps a serial killer is punishing them for their sins. Full of formulaic yet entertaining elements of the horror genre, this novel will easily appeal to slasher-film fans.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) YA Teen twin brothers Cory and Ty Bic, on the lam from their foster family, discover a wrecked car in the wilderness. In the car's trunk is an injured, blindfolded, and bound teenage girl. What ensues is a suspenseful survival story, told in alternating voices and time periods, revealing a tangled web of secrets from the past that continues to threaten the brothers' present and future.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) 4-6 Ranger Rick Kids' Guides series. These books present detailed guides for children who may have little experience with the titular outdoor recreations. Each uses a how-to format with step-by-step instructions; useful tips; and basic information related to sites, gear, food preparation, and activities. Illustrations, photos, and diagrams extend the readable texts on cleanly designed pages. Each book includes a working compass. Ind. Review covers these titles: Kids' Guide to Fishing, Kids' Guide to Paddling, Kids' Guide to Hiking, and Kids' Guide to Camping.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Ten teens attending a wilderness camp for delinquents must complete a survival exercise. To pass time, each participant (à la Chaucer's Canterbury Tales) tells a self-revealing story, most involving betrayal, bullying, assault, and misunderstood quests for justice. The embedded tales--each by a different YA author, including compiler Hutchinson--range from bland to disturbing to thought-provoking, leading to an uneven collection.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Like all teens in her poverty-stricken rural-Kentucky town, Winter Crane determines to leave Reeve's End forever. One day she discovers Lennon Bishop beaten and left in the woods--and with knowledge that something has happened to Winter's friend Edie. When Lennon also disappears, Winter joins forces with Lennon's brother for a dangerous pursuit of the truth. A thrilling mystery in the well-evoked Appalachian wilderness.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) YA Escape: Survive series. Teens face natural disasters and evildoers in standalone survival stories. Gloria braves the harsh Arizona desert after an airplane crash (Crash); two frenemies lost at sea overcome the elements and modern-day pirates (Skies); an American church youth group escapes a volcanic eruption and flees Congolese rebels (Wind). The hi-lo narratives are accessible, but the melodramas become tiresome. There are three other fall 2017 books in this series. Review covers these titles: The Evil Wind, Crash, and Red Skies.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg