Sandra's Book Club: Blog Tour: STRANDED ON CASTAWAY ISLAND by Amy Laundrie

Stranded on Castaway Island

by Amy Laundrie

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GENRE: middle grade-young adult

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BLURB:

On a remote island with only a herd of wild horses for company, two ex-best friends struggle to survive but soon realize they’re not alone.

After a sudden storm turned what should have been a quick boat ride into a nightmare, Annie is shipwrecked on a remote island near Nova Scotia with her ex-best friend Mirra. Learning to survive together would have been easier if they could get along--not possible after the hurtful words neither can forget. Annie and Mirra's only company is a herd of wild horses--or that's what the 14-year-old girls think at first. But when they discover still warm embers from a campfire and man-sized footprints, they know they're not alone.

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Excerpt One:

I clung onto the dash and hit 9 1 before a gigantic tower of greenish-gray water blasted over us. It soaked the phone. I caught my breath and tried punching the final 1. Please, oh, please. But nothing. A wall of water crashed onto the boat, soaking it more. Icy water sloshed around our ankles. The bow tilted to sea level again. “Hang on—” When I grabbed for the side-rail, the phone dropped to my feet. There was no chance of grabbing it—I was holding on for dear life as wave after wave washed onto the deck. The boat’s motor died. The storm was sweeping us out of the bay and into the open sea.

“Call the Coast Guard!” I screamed, remembering the radio.

Mirra pressed a button and shouted, “Coast Guard! Coast Guard!”

Nothing except static.

“Mayday! Mayday!” Mirra shrieked.

The bow tilted up, and the cooler slid, hitting the stern and sounding like a gunshot. Clutching onto the handrail, I held my breath. A saltwater wall, taller than any before, swept over us. Coughing and sputtering, I looked for Mirra. She was gripping the wheel. A scream stuck in my throat as the boat plunged.

When the wave sliced over us, it washed my legs out from under me. I closed my eyes as the freezing cold ocean ripped away my hat and gushed down on me.

The boat pitched sideways. I lost my grip and tumbled into the raging water.

The shark’s jaws appeared, but I only looked at its eye.

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Review: Two kids that hadn’t been friends for a while go out on a boat, hit a storm, drift aimlessly on a boat raft, and become stranded on an island. How very Gilligan.

The girls had such bickering tension, disagreeing on almost everything. For days, they try to ration their food, water, and sleep while still clinging to the desperate hope that they will be saved. Meanwhile, memories and hallucinations assault Annie, who is telling the whole story.

As the girls struggle to survive with little resources, they begin to hash things out and finally reveal the destruction of their friendship.

Story had a simple narrative with a slow and steady pace. Although I wasn’t entirely invested in the story, it was still an interesting tale of survival, redemption, and friendship.

A fairly nice read overall.

Rating: 3 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amy writes about nature and animals and spends way too much time imagining what it would be like to survive on a remote island. STRANDED ON CASTAWAY ISLAND, for middle grade and young adults, is her 11th books. She also has picture books, middle-grade chapter books, and an adult memoir. She’s a columnist and her memoir, LAUGH, CRY, REFLECT: STORIES FROM A JOYFUL HEART is a compilation of her favorite pieces.

Website: https://laundrie.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmyLaundrieAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/LaundrieAuthorPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyLaundrie

Blog: http://laundrie.com/articles

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amylaundrie/?hl=en

Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/Goodreads-Laundrie

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/yd3ubwr7

LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/yxchfsu3

Book Marketing Global Network: https://bit.ly/344SRW2

Buy links:

The book will be on sale for only $0.99.