Distress Signal

Great book for middle school age kids. Covers topics such as friendship, family, and teamwork.

The author takes an intriguing premise (a sixth grade girl with her ham radio license gets lost with her classmates in Arizona's Chiricahua Wilderness on a school field trip) and gives us a swift-moving adventure story with very real stakes that features friends and foes struggling to overcome their differences as they struggle to survive a flash flood, a bear encounter, dehydration, and other dangers. This well-paced novel made me eagerly turn the pages to see what Lavender and her friends would have to endure next (and when they would get rescued!). It also made me tear up at one point. It is on point emotionally. Bonus: In these pandemic days, this book gives a thrilling tour of the Chiricahua Wilderness, which is now on my travel wish-list.

The author dealt thoughtfully with complex relationships between a group of middle schoolers and their families. It was encouraging to watch the main characters grow, begin to learn how to listen to one another, develop empathy, and admit their shortcomings. And it was all set within an exciting desert environment with mini science lessons peppered in, like I was on a hike with them (from the comfort of my home!). The book itself is attractive, both the dust jacket and especially the hidden topographic map on the hardcover!

This book is written for a younger audience but also great for adults.

I wanted to like this book. My 10-year-old son and I take turns reading out loud to each other. Neither one of us could muster up any sympathy for any of the characters except John, who was a relatively minor character. The adventure portion starts when one of the teachers leads the group of kids out into the wilderness and gets them lost. Nope. Not believable. Any person of authority responsible for a group of kids like that would never, ever randomly say, let's go on a hike into the desert without a knowledgeable guide. From there, it's just one stupid decision after another. It's maddening. My son kept stopping the story and saying, "I don't understand why they didn't just [insert something reasonable]. This book would have been much better if the disaster struck through no fault of their own, for example, the bus crashing, etc. The protagonist—who was supposed to be the intelligent one—somehow became so preoccupied with getting petty revenge on a classmate that even she temporarily became an idiot. Anyway. Disappointing. We stopped reading at page 49.

As a former sixth grade teacher, I took numerous trips to science camp with my students. In Distress Signal, author Mary Lambert is spot on with her depiction of sixth grade drama over friendships, home situations, and overall bossiness. All of those things become insignificant as four students are thrown into a situation that is literally life or death. Each chapter ends with a hook that keeps the reader turning the page, with compelling twists and turns throughout. A great read!

The action never stops in this book as four middle school frenemies have to survive the harsh Arizona wilderness and learn to get along with each other. My 8yo and I were on the edge of our seats at the end of every chapter and ended up cuddling and crying (happy tears) by the end. This is the perfect read for fans of the I Survived series. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed reading the book. The author did a great job developing the characters in a way that is relatable for middle schoolers.