This is a fast-moving disaster novel about teenagers acting amid a plane-crash rescue. Its strongest pull is immediate suspense: different survivors and helpers face urgent choices while Heidi discovers capability she had not recognised.
More about this book
"When a 747 jumbo jet crashes in the back of her parents' sprawling Connecticut estate, the quietness of 16-year-old Heidi Landseth's insulated existence is transformed forever. With both her parents away for the weekend, she alone must make decisions that will affect the lives of hundreds of injured passengers. Her call to 911 gives Patrick Farquhar, a 17-year-old Emergency Medical Technician, the two things he has always wanted-excitement that a small rural community lacks and the opportunity to prove himself as an adult. This catastrophe, however, is beyond even his wildest imaginings. Will these two be able to help the victims until more rescuers arrive? Caroline B. Cooney is a past recipient of an American Library Association Best Book award. She is the author of more than 40 books for young adults." - *Courtesy Scholastic Books Inc.*
Heidi begins with low confidence and becomes involved in decisions affecting injured passengers; the emergency also gives Patrick a chance to act as an emergency medical technician.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: The book presents this favourably.
Talk about: Does the crisis build lasting self-belief, or mainly reveal abilities needed in that moment?
Rescue, survival and suffering
The novel follows a plane-crash rescue involving injured passengers, deaths, severe wounds and uncertainty about who will survive.MixedMixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.Mixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.
How the book presents it: The book presents competing or mixed signals about this.
Talk about: How does the story balance admiration for rescuers with attention to victims’ suffering?
Different lives meeting in crisis
Heidi comes from an insulated, wealthy family setting, while Patrick is from a working family and volunteers as an emergency worker; other survivors are followed from separate perspectives.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The book presents this mainly as information or explanation.
Talk about: If background shapes the characters’ decisions, does the crisis change how they understand one another?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may suit a reader drawn to high-stakes rescue stories and changing perspectives. Alongside the thriller element, it explores how assumptions about oneself and other people can shift during a crisis.
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What Deserves Attention
One mild expletive is also noted.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How do the characters’ different backgrounds affect the choices they make during the emergency? If you were present, what responsibilities would feel possible, and where might you need help?
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Reading Approach
Check in before reading about the plane-crash premise and severe injuries. Pause after particularly graphic or emotionally intense sections, then discuss how the shifting viewpoints affect your response to the rescue.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Finding capability under pressure: The ending and the detail of each character’s longer-term development are not established.
Rescue, survival and suffering: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Different lives meeting in crisis: The relationships among the wider cast and the book’s final judgement on class or family expectations remain unclear.
Book information
Limited information
Relevant to: Finding capability under pressure; Different lives meeting in crisis
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