(avail. June 9, 2015) When first we meet twelve year-old Liberty and her eight year-old sister, Billie, they have been abandoned (on purpose) at a sketchy, highway gas station, in the middle of nowhere, on the way to The Four Corners Monument.
The meager options available to these girls are quite bleak, especially since their mother passed away and the person who abandoned them was the dad they had always wanted to know.
Fortunately the incredibly strong, resourceful and almost brave Liberty has a survival strategy firmly in hand. She’ll not only keep her sister safe, but she’ll see that she’s well fed, happy and unafraid until she can figure things out.
The girls face plenty of obstacles, challenges and adventures – including bathing in a hotel swimming pool and stowing away in the sleeper cab of a big rig truck. To keep terror at bay, Liberty, who comes off as realistically wise beyond her years, relies on her survival notebook which is chock full of interesting animal facts. Liberty doles out these facts at the appropriate times to distract and entertain Billie or even to bolster her own courage for something she knows she has to do.
Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave is a heartwarming and ultimately uplifting tale of family, sisters, love and the importance of sticking together. These unforgettable characters come to life thorough this author’s tender prose, while their panic-inducing predicament creates a fervent page-turner. If you loved The Higher Power of Lucky, or Because of Winn Dixie you won’t want to miss this book.
Interesting note: If you go to the author’s website (JenWhiteBooks.com) you can read the true story inspiration for this book under the tab “Did this really happen?”
By Jen White
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pub date: June 9, 2015
320 pages
