TAKE IT EASY

A wilderness hike turns catastrophic for six New Zealand teenagers in this gripping, straightforward survival adventure from Hill (See Ya, Simon, 1994). When Rob and his camping companions wake up on the third day to find their guide dead, they panic and throw safety procedures to the winds; leaving most of their supplies behind, they head off in search of rescue. Rob, the one experienced camper in the group, is so angry and depressed over tragic events at home that he refuses to take charge until it's too late; by the time he's picked up, alone, five rainy, exhausting days later, he's broken more rules, survived flood and exposure, and left three of his fellow hikers behind with serious injuries. Hill doesn't delve very deeply into his characters, and, paradoxically, seems to consider Rob more heroic than reckless, but every brush with danger, every hour of sodden, muddy misery is so vivid that, like Ivy Ruckman's No Way Out (1988) or Will Hobbs's Far North (1996), readers will feel as wrung out as if they've actually been along for the ride. (Fiction. 11-13)