The Long Way Around

This gripping contemporary adventure novel follows three cousins, Owen, Vivian, and Amy, who are separated from their parents by a massive earthquake during a mountain hiking trip. Stranded in the California wilderness, they must navigate treacherous trails, fierce animals, and unstable weather to find their way home. Beyond the physical challenges, the story delves into each cousin's personal struggles: Vivian's anxiety about middle school, Owen's emotional scars from a past accident, and Amy's tendency to retreat into stories. It's a powerful tale of resilience, teamwork, and overcoming both external dangers and internal fears, perfect for readers aged 8-11, and a compelling read-aloud for younger children.

In an exciting wilderness adventure, three cousins are cut off from their parents by a huge earthquake--and must hike long and treacherous mountain trails back to safety, with only each other to rely on. During a hiking trip with their parents in the mountains of California, cousins Owen, Vivian, and Amy are finally allowed to camp for one night at a little lake all on their own. But when a massive earthquake blocks their return path, there's only one way home: the long way around, through a wilderness filled with fierce animals, raging rivers, unstable weather, and high passes. The hardest challenges the cousins face, however, are the troubles they've brought with them: bold Vivian's fear of starting middle school and of changes she can't control, Owen's lingering emotional scars from a car accident, and Amy's desire to live in stories rather than in boring regular life. Drawing on courage and humor, the cousins weather storms, make the most of dwindling rations, and face their deepest fears in order to bring each other safely home. This gripping contemporary novel from celebrated author Anne Nesbet is bursting with excitement, rich natural settings, and characters who will have readers rooting for them all the way.