Whether you enjoy spending time outdoors or prefer to read about it from the comfort of your air-conditioned home, these survival books are sure to keep you entertained. Bonus: All of these titles are great for boys who don't care for reading.
1. Life of Pi by Yan Martell
A young boy from India knows his life is changing forever when his zookeeper father announces that the family is moving to Canada, but when the ship transporting Pi’s family and all of the zoo animals sinks, the only survivors are Pi and a ferocious tiger. A great book for older teens, with philosophical themes covering religion, destiny, and the wonders of nature.
2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Sam runs away to his great grandfather’s land in the mountains. With limited supplies, he lives off the land, makes a house out of a tree, and contends with local wildlife, all the while worried that he’ll be discovered by the authorities and sent home to the crowded apartment he shared with his large family. The book has two sequels and two related picture books.
3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
When the pilot of a small, two-seater airplane dies of a heart attack, Brian, the passenger, makes an emergency landing on a lake in the woods. Now stranded, Brian must learn to survive with nothing but a hatchet as he waits for rescue. A Newbury Honor book with four sequels.
4. Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare
Waiting at a newly built frontier cabin for his father to return with the rest of the family, Matt befriends Attean, a Native American from the local tribe. As months pass with no sign of his family, Matt must decide if he will continue to wait for them or join Attean’s tribe, which will soon migrate to new lands.
5. Nation by Terry Pratchett
After surviving a tsunami by clinging to a small canoe, islander Mau returns to the site of his village and finds only death. In his dreams, he hears the voices of his ancestors: “You have to survive because you are the only one left. You are the Nation.” Soon, Mau meets survivors from other nearby islands and they must all work together to prepare the village before the terrifying Raiders come.
6. Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
This well-researched biographical novel chronicles the life of Genghis Khan from his childhood – scraping by with his mother and brothers on the plains after being exiled from their tribe – to his teenage years when he won his first battles. Other books in the series follow his growth as a leader and warlord. Great for older teens.
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