LOST IN THE AMAZON is the incredible true story of a plane crash survivor who survived in the Amazon rainforest for 11 days. With a narrative style of writing, we experience the struggle and dangers of the rainforest along with Juliane Koepcke, a seventeen-year-old girl. With various other stories of survival in the rainforest combined in small vignettes throughout, the fear and dangers of the rainforest survival really come to life.

The book follows the flight from the take-off, giving a few tastes of some of the other passengers who did not survive, through to her journey and fight for survival until rescue and then at the end of her future endeavors and the changes to the rainforest in that time.

A harrowing tale, this book is easily digestible for the middle grade audience. Adding to the narrative writing style are pictures throughout of animals, people, and rainforest flora that add to the descriptive text. The dangerous fight for her life really comes alive in this book.

What I loved: The story follows various aspects of the journey and sets the stage for what it is like to be alone in the rainforest really well, including accounts from others who survived lost there (such as the sounds of the animals and the fruits far out of reach). The images throughout really add to the understanding and experience. Additionally, the steps that Juliane took which helped to ensure her survival are also explained and give a taste of how you might also survive in such a situation (for instance, following the river, even though it is windy).

Final verdict: This is an engaging and well written non-fiction book that brings 17-year-old Juliane’s harrowing experience to life. I would recommend for anyone who enjoys thrillers and survival stories, across ages. This works well for younger audiences who will get into the narrative style and well-explained terms and engages even older readers in this incredible tale of survival.