I finished reading The Raft by S. A. Bodeen and The Living by Matt De La Peña ; two survival stories. I really enjoyed both of them, though I found myself liking The Raft a little more. It is very remisicent of the Castaway movie with ecological connections. The Living was good, but seemed to pile too many disasters on at once for me to really buy in all the way. The Raft is a female lead and The Living has a male main character. I wanted to like The Living more because I have had a request for more male main characters, but I think I have to go with The Raft as my personal choice.

Connections for The Raft: Midway, Pacific Islands, ocean survival skills, albatross, conservation, tiger sharks, NOAA, ocean garbage/pollution, airplane crashes

Connections for The Living: Cruise ships, working on a cruise ship, California earthquakes, tsunamis, epidemic/pandemic, cruise ship disasters, survival at sea