Red Fox Road

Frances Greenslade

A thirteen-year-old girl on a family vacation becomes stranded alone in the wilderness when the family's GPS leads them astray. A compelling survival story for ages 10 to 14, for fans of Hatchet and The Skeleton Tree.Francie and her parents are on a spring road trip: driving from British Columbia, Canada, to hike in the Grand Canyon. When a shortcut leads them down an old logging road, disaster strikes. Their truck hits a rock and wipes out the oil pan. They are stuck in the middle of nowhere. Francie can't help feeling a little excited -- she'd often imagined how she'd survive if she got stranded in the bush, and now here they are. But will her survival skills -- building fires, gathering dandelion leaves and fir needles for tea -- be enough when hours stretch into days?

COMPELLING STORY: A survival story and coming-of-age (Francie's memories about her mom's breakdowns, the death of her twin sister and her related guilt slowly unfold over the course of the story), the tension slowly builds as the days go by.SURVIVAL STORIES PERENNIAL KIDS' FAVE: Hatchet is THE classic survival story - there's something a little exciting to think about how to survive on your own…STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER: Francie is both fragile and strong, facing her internal fears about her sister's death and her relationship with her mother, all the while relying on her extensive outdoor living skills to survive.COMPLICATED MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP: Francie's relationship with her mother is complex, adding a layer to this adventure/survival story.ATMOSPHERIC WRITING: In Frances Greenslade's hands, the woods come alive, and readers will smell the fresh air, feel the rough bark beneath their hands, sink into the softness of vibrant green moss.DEBUT MIDDLE GRADE: Frances Greenslade is the author of three books for adults (two memoirs and one novel).