The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

The Raft
Author: S.A. Bodeen
Genre: Young Adult
Format: ebook
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: 8-21-12
Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft. And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way. – Goodreads

I am not a great flyer, so I was a little apprehensive about reading this book.  However, dispersed throughout a very exciting story are a lot of survival tips, which I kind of liked and will be remembering forever.  Robie was an interesting character because although she was a very typical teen who lamented about the spotty internet and lack of kids on Midway, she also had an obvious appreciation for the unique creatures that her parents studied.  Her life as a fifteen year old visiting her aunt in Honolulu is in dramatic contrast with the Robie that we get to know after the place crash.

I found the description of the plane crash and what happened immediately after to be extremely harrowing.  The co-pilot, Max, plays a ver important role in this part of the book and, in some ways, her survival after they reach the raft has a lot to do with him  The author does a very good job of putting the reader in that raft with the main characters and I stayed up late just to finish this book because I had to know what was going to happen.  The descriptions of Robie’s physical survival almost takes second place to what she does to survive emotionally while waiting to be rescued.  Her thoughts about home and possibly dying are interwoven with her knowledge of the sea and the animals that live in this remote part of the Pacific.  I found it to be interesting and gripping at the same time.  The Raft is a short book, yes, but it packs quite a punch and you will definitely think about it the next time you hear a flight attendant give the safety briefing before a flight.

This book earned 3.5 birds, rounded up to 4:
Photobucket

I received this book as a galley from the publisher in exchange for my honest review..

Find S.A. Bodeen online:
Website

Photobucket

Kate

Share:

9 responses to “The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

  1. Survival stories are always interesting to me, because I like seeing HOW the characters manage to survive. This book would probably freak me out while I was reading it, but it would also be pretty fun!

  2. I haven’t heard of this book before reading your review, but I am so intrigued. One of my greatest fears is to be lost at sea. I have a great fear of deep water, and this book will probably feel more like a horror story for me. I will definitely add this to by TBR list. Thanks for the recommendation!

    s @ Oh! Paper Pages

  3. Amy

    I’m glad that you enjoyed this one. It didn’t really do much for me, but I can see how people would really like it. Great review!!

  4. The foods that are part of a vegan diet are low in cholesterol and saturated fats and they are high in fiber (all characteristics of a healthy diet) and may lead to a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. And since most of the foods that people are allergic to (cow’s milk, egg whites, seafood, poultry) aren’t part of the vegan diet, your child is much less likely to suffer from food allergies. These health benefits led Dr. Spock to recommend a strict vegan diet for all children over the age of 2. This proposal created a lot of controversy, but not because experts disputed the health benefits of a vegan diet, but rather because they thought that parents might not take enough time and effort to plan a vegan diet that included enough calories, minerals and nutrients to ensure optimal growth in their children. Some areas that you should pay special attention to if your child is on a vegan diet include:

  5. He added: am concerned that in some parts of the county it seems to be considered acceptable particularly among young men. Airey described the figures as shocking and Anne Burns, responsible for children social care with the county council, said that most cases of child protection involved domestic violence.

  6. While dating a disable women you should be a ware of her disabilities and you should be be prepared to live with her with her disability for this you must have a good understanding between you both with this mature understanding you will be able to have a great fun with your partner. Do not treat people of any kind as a androgynous being, many of the disable persons are craving for relationship, it is true that the disable people can also date a physically challenged or a normal person.

  7. Hey! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any points or suggestions? With thanks
    [url=http://www.rdhdesigns.com/new-balance???????-japan-15.html]??????? m1400[/url]

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.