Book Review: Be Not Far from Me / Mindy McGinnis

What would you do if you became lost in the forest? Do you have the skills to save youself?

Ashley met up with a bunch of her friends for a night of drinking and partying deep in the Smokey Mountains. When she finds her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend together, she gets angry punches him in the nose and runs blindly into the night. She runs into a boulder and badly damages her foot and, not being in a good place to deal with what she left behind - she falls asleep on the forest floor. 

When she awakes in the morning she realizes she is  alone, injured and in deep trouble. Her foot is badly broken, she has no shoes, and she doesn't know where she is. When she pulls herself together she discovers that all she has to help her survive is her underwear, bra, shirt and jeans. She also has knowledge from her father about hunting and lessons learned from an old camp counselor, Davey. Ashley is a doer - so she creates a crutch, uses her shirt to create a sling for her foot, and hobbles off on her journey through the woods. 

If survival stories are your thing, you might find this an intriguing read. It might also make you want to learn more about surviving in the wild. Who knows when you might make a wrong turn. 

This book is a Flume Nominee for the 2021/22 school year. You can find a copy on the shelves at South, or on the shelves of Nashua Public Library. You can also borrow an audio copy via NPL's Libby app.