Flynn hates the outdoors. Always has. He barely pays attention in his Outdoor Ed class. He has no interest in doing a book report on Lost in the Barrens. He doesn’t understand why anybody would want to go hiking or camping. But when he gets lost in the wilderness behind his parents’ friends’ house, it’s surprising what he remembers—insulate your clothes with leaves, eat snow to stay hydrated, build a shelter, eat lichen—and how hopelessly inept he is at survival techniques.

Alison Hughes is an award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, including The Silence Slips In, winner of the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature and Hit the Ground Running, a nominee for the Governor General's Literary Award. Alison is a university Writing Advisor, volunteers with children and literacy groups and gives frequent workshops and presentations at schools, libraries, festivals and conferences across Canada. She lives in Edmonton with her family.

Alison Hughes' profile page

• Nominated, Young Readers' Choice Book Awards of British Columbia (YRCABC) Red Cedar Book Awards
• Short-listed, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
• Short-listed, Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards - Diamond Willow
• Nominated, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award
• Commended, Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awards (SONWA) - Young Adult Notable Book

"Will appeal to both those who prefer the comforts of the indoors as well as those who enjoy survival stories such as Hatchet or Stranded."

Resource Links

"Narrated in Flynn’s sarcastic-yet-realistic tone, the story provides a different take on wilderness survival than, say, Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain (1959)...A book that will grab many, including reluctant middle-school readers."

Booklist Online

"Hughes writes Flynn's story in the first person, allowing the reader to feel and experience all of Flynn's emotions and struggles. The tone and self deprecating humour allow the reader to easily connect with Flynn and to root for him despite his clear dislike of the circumstances he finds himself in. Short sentences, paragraphs and chapters propel this adventure story forward quickly it's a race to the finish of the book to find out how Flynn survives his days in the woods. Highly recommended for those who love adventure and the outdoors...[and] readers who just want a quick exciting read."

CM Magazine

"Simply written, in first-person perspective, the novel is carried by the voice of its engaging and truly adolescent main character...A satisfying tale of a young man’s personal growth."

VOYA