Survivor Girl: A Funny Middle Grade Adventure About Reality TV and Real Wilderness Survival for Kids (Ages 10-12)

Survivor Girl: A Funny Middle Grade Adventure About Reality TV and Real Wilderness Survival for Kids (Ages 10-12)

In this funny, action-packed middle grade novel from the author of the American Girl Luciana books, Alison gets invited to be on her dad’s reality show, Survivor Guy , and faces important realities about her family, self-reliance, and learning to work together with friends. 12-year-old Ali adores her reality-show celebrity father, Survivor Guy, and hopes to follow in his footsteps. But when he invites her on location, Ali is sure she won’t survive one episode . . . until she learns the truth: The show isn't just her dad and a camera. It’s a huge crew and set, with stunt doubles! When a wildfire strikes and Ali and two other kids miss the last rescue helicopter, suddenly, the fight for survival is real. Will she find the self-confidence she needs so they can work together and get out of the wilderness alive? STEM themes and plot strands about body image and divorce are subtly woven into this page-turning tale. Action-Packed Adventure: When a TV set turns into a real-life disaster zone, a sudden wildfire leaves Ali and her new friends stranded in the Great Dismal Swamp. - A Father-Daughter Story: Ali idolizes her famous dad, Survivor Guy, but discovering his show is fake is only the first challenge she’ll have to face on this trip. - Teamwork and Friendship: To make it out alive, Ali must learn to trust two other kids and rely on teamwork to navigate the dangerous wilderness. - Finding Your Courage: She’s pretended to be a survival expert to her friends, but now Ali must find real courage and prove she can be a true Survivor Girl. - Perfect Summer Reading: Packed with humor, heart, and STEM themes, this is a gripping read for kids ages 10-12 who love adventure. "A strong story that shows survival is more than just getting through physical challenges." —Kirkus "Teagan’s characters are well defined and well rounded.... The action sequences fit smoothly with the scenes of emotional growth, and the resolution is satisfying." — The Horn Book "Good action and dynamic interactions.... A fun read for those that like adventure."  —School Library Connection   Erin Teagan is the author of several books for kids, including Survivor Girl,   The Friendship Experiment, and three titles about American Girl’s 2018 Girl of the Year, Luciana. She lives with her family in Virginia. Visit her online at erinteagan.com and on Twitter @ErinKTeagan. ONE It's after midnight when I hear his car in the driveway and I stumble out of bed.       'Ow!"       'Oh! Sorry!' I say, forgetting my best friend is asleep in the trundle bed next to me.       She sits up, rubbing an elbow. "Your dad?"       I press my face against the window and see the Jeep, illuminated in the spotlights above our garage. Green and red, a snorkel attached to the hood, nets and snake traps strapped to the top, and a bungee cord holding a container of gas to the bumper. "He's home.' I try to whisper, because it's best if Mom doesn't know yet since'officially'he was supposed to be home in time for my sixth-grade graduation earlier that night. But when you're dealing with time zones and monster alligators and life and death, can you really be expected to keep appointments?       'Your mom's going to kill him. I'm out of here," Harper says, sliding into her flip-flops.       I swear I see movement in one of the cages tied to the roof rack. Snake? Mongoose? Kitten? Harper wedges in next to me at the window.       'Put your bag down," I say. 'mom will never let you leave."       The door to the Jeep pops open and Dad steps onto the driveway. It's like a thousand-pound weight is lifted off my back. He's home. He's safe. But then my idiot brother, Jake, slides out of the back door of the car, his arm in a sling, limping across the driveway. Harper gasps, but honestly, is it really a surprise that Jake comes back injured every time?       'Alison?' Mom calls from her bedroom.       'It's Dad," I say, bolting out of my room and down the stairs.       Before I can even get to the kitchen, Harper skidding after me, the door to the garage bursts open and there stand Dad and Jake, mud-streaked and sunburned. Dad lifts me up and tosses me in the air like I'm two instead of twelve. "Ali-Gator!' he says, nearly squeezing the organs out of me.       'Can we not say that word?' Jake moans. His khaki sling looks like it was made out of an old pair of cargo shorts.       'Hi, Jake," Harper says in her girly voice she usually saves for Brad Garrison. It's disgusting. Dad's been letting Jake go on shoots for his show, Survivor Guy, ever since he graduated high school last year, and now Harper thinks he's some kind of celebrity. I keep reminding her he's the same kid who crashed his car into the garage a few months ago.       Dad shakes his head. "You'll be fine, Jake. It was only a baby. FACT!' he says and points a finger at him. 'they almost never carry diseases."       'Where have you been?' I ask. "I thought you were in Saskatchewan."       Jake sh