Five Survive

October 17, 2022
Six Philadelphia teenagers’ spring break road trip turns deadly after they get lost in South Carolina in this nail-biting thriller from Jackson (the Good Girls’ Guide to Murder series). Redford “Red” Kenny and her friends—siblings Oliver and Maddie Lavoy, Oliver’s girlfriend Reyna Flores-Serrano, Arthur Moore, and Simon Yoo—borrow Simon’s uncle’s RV to road-trip down to Gulf Shores for spring break. The journey is pleasant, if cramped, and the teens pass the time playing card games and drinking. While navigating without cell service to an isolated rural rest stop, they make a wrong turn onto McNair Cemetery Road, where one of their tires blows out. The group is then taken hostage by an unseen sniper, who shoots out the rest of the tires, the gas tank, and a window. Via a walkie-talkie left behind by the perpetrator, the shooter claims that one of them has a secret he wants revealed and warns that “if you try to run, I will shoot.” Hints of romance and a hopeful resolution help buoy unrelenting violent action, a tense atmosphere, and a melancholic tone. Reyna is Mexican; Simon’s father is Korean; the rest of the cast present as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sam Copeland, RCW Literary.

October 15, 2022
Red Kenny and her friends' spring break road trip veers off course when they are detained by a sniper. Since her police captain mother's murder, Red has been inseparable from Maddy Lavoy, though it's often difficult for Red to witness the warm family dynamics Maddy and her brother, Oliver, share with their mother, an assistant DA and Red's late mother's best friend. Red, the Lavoy siblings, and three other friends--Reyna Flores-Serrano, Arthur Moore, and Simon Yoo--embark in a borrowed RV on a journey to Gulf Shores but instead find themselves in the crosshairs of a long-range rifle held by a man demanding that one of them reveal an important secret. As Red battles internally with her guilt and grief over her mother's death, her companions become increasingly volatile and paranoid as the group tries to discern whose secret is the one the hostage taker is after. The sometimes-tedious, sometimes-intense moment-by-moment breakdown of events in the 31-foot RV (that seems much smaller as the night wears on) magnifies the claustrophobia. Subtle indications that no one can really be trusted alternate with mind-blowing revelations. Toxic masculinity is often at war with common sense and good judgment, and moral ambiguity abounds. Red, Arthur, and the Lavoy siblings read White; Reyna is Mexican American, and Simon is cued as biracial (Korean and White).(This review has been updated to correct a character's name.) Intervals of intense suspense and a well-crafted puzzle blend to create a thrill ride of a story. (maps) (Thriller. 14-18)

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December 1, 2022

Gr 9 Up-Red and her five friends are headed to spring break in a borrowed RV. The first night of their trip, they lose signal on their GPS and end up lost off a dirt and gravel road. When all four tires and the gas tank are shot out, they cower in the RV's interior while attempting to devise a plan of escape. Jackson offers a chilling and twisting thriller. Red, the white main character, is fully developed and nuanced, with secrets and trauma. Her friends are no less well-rounded, with depth and drama that keeps readers guessing at every twist and turn. The terror of being trapped by a sniper, while wading through hidden truths, pulsates off the page, making this a fast-paced story. The sections of the text are mapped out with timestamps, covering eight hours. The opening pages include a diagram of the RV's floor plan, providing a helpful visual when reading the description of the layout as events unfold. Despite being reminiscent of And Then There Were None and echoing horror tropes, the writing never feels stale and brings a fresh, innovative approach to the thriller genre. VERDICT A sure bet for fans of thrillers, and not just fans of Jackson.-Kaitlin Malixi

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December 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 Five high-school students road trip in an RV to meet their classmates at a spring break location. A few wrong turns and popped tires later, they are trapped in the RV in the middle of the woods, where an unknown sniper holds them hostage. One of them has information that the sniper wants, and personal, political, and generational secrets are spilled as the group tries to plan an escape without going full Lord of the Flies. Red, the shy and traumatized girl at the center of the story, offers a mysterious and at times hard-to-follow narration. The prose tightens up as the action begins, and Jackson (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, 2020) takes readers through a series of slightly predictable but fun twists and turns; the frustration of being trapped with people who want to handle the situation differently than you do is also well drawn. Recommended for fans of the author and fans of teen thrillers.

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