The Glades

Karen's Alligator

If this book was written by Gary Paulsen, that would probably be the title.  Instead it has the much more dramatic title Lost in the River of Grass.  I chose to read it because like I mentioned in the previous post, my buddy Karen is in Florida now and she had traveled through the Glades.  I never considered myself a big wilderness/survival reader, and so I am glad that it worked out that Karen was down there and that her being there sparked my interest in the area, or else I might not have chosen to read this.  And that would have been very sad because this is a great book!  I read on the author's site that it is based on a true story!  Two teens from totally different worlds get stuck ten miles in the Everglades and have to walk out...and man...this is NOT the kind of place for a fun walk!  I liked how the story also is about the teens themselves and the ways in which they, especially the girl, Sarah (the book is written from her POV) grow during their trip.
I don't want to give too much away, but if you won't read a book in which a beloved pet dies...this book is miraculously safe!