Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ollestad (French Girl with Mother, for adults) and Kiely (Tradition) team up to deliver a wrenching novel based on Ollestad's own childhood survival experience. In 1979, 11-year-old Ollestad wins a ski championship in Big Bear, Calif. Accompanied by his father and his father's girlfriend, Sandra, the youth travels six hours back to the Palisades so he can participate in a hockey game. The next morning, Ollestad's father charters a plane to return to Big Bear for the championship's closing ceremonies. En route, a blizzard slams the plane into the San Gabriel Mountains, killing the pilot and Ollestad's father and gravely injuring Sandra. Dazed and hurt, Ollestad must make his way down the mountain to seek help or risk spending the night exposed in the frigid landscape. As Ollestad descends, he ruminates on his mother's abusive boyfriend, his having to take on a caregiver role to save Sandra, and the resentment he feels toward his fractured family: "They were my parents, but not always my protectors. I had to save myself." Throughout this tale of resilience and finding the strength to weather terrifying and uncertain situations, Ollestad draws on skills he learned from skiing and surfing to survive, which the authors depict using technical sports jargon. Ages 10--14. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5--8--This riveting middle grade memoir recounts the harrowing true story of 11-year-old Norman Ollestad, who survived a plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains during a blizzard. The coauthors weave Ollestad's childhood trauma into a gripping survival narrative, rich with flashbacks that explore themes of resilience, complicated parental love, and self-discovery. The narrative includes heart-racing scenes of ski-racing slopes and surfing Topanga's swells, along with emotional scenes like that of a boy caught between an adventurous father and a domineering stepfather. The crash sequence is cinematic in detail and pulse-pounding in intensity, yet it's Ollestad's grappling with fear, forging independence, and ultimately surviving alone that will resonate most deeply with readers. Fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet or Lauren Tarshis's "I Survived" series will find both kinship and catharsis here, though this memoir is uniquely poignant due to its autobiographical roots. With clean, visceral prose and thematic complexity, this book stands out as a survival story and a meditation on identity. VERDICT Highly recommended, especially for older tweens drawn to true stories of grit, growth, and survival against the odds.--Tracey S. Hodges
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In 1979, 11-year-old Norman was the only survivor of a plane crash in Southern California: This is his true story. This book for middle-grade readers, co-authored with Kiely, covers much of the same material as Ollestad's 2009 memoir for adults,Crazy for the Storm. Flying in a four-seater Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, Sandra, and the pilot, Norman was excited to reach Big Bear to receive his ski-racing trophy. (As a vivid example of his busy childhood, they'd driven the 300 miles there yesterday for Norman to compete--and then driven back to Topanga Canyon in the evening for his hockey game.) But the plane tragically crashed on a mountain in a blizzard. Nothing is sugarcoated; readers encounter graphic descriptions of the pilot and Norman's dad, who died, and Sandra, who suffered a gaping head wound. Eventually accepting that he had to figure things out on his own, Norman drew upon the extreme training his father had put his "Boy Wonder" through--training that had bullied Norman into facing difficult physical and mental challenges that he feared and resented. During his trek to safety, Norman performed incredible mental and physical feats and encouraged the barely functioning Sandra--until she fell to her death. Norman's conflicted feelings about the father he'd both idolized and resented are nuanced and satisfyingly resolved. Readers who enjoy nail-biting wilderness stories will be riveted. A tragic, gripping, and inspiring story.(Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
