Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 3, 2020
ISBN: 0062561626
Pages: 240
Genres: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Living near the Smoky Mountains has created a love of the forest for 17-year-old Ashley.  She’s even taken survival training, which gets tested when she becomes lost, injured, and disoriented in the woods.  She’s attending a camping party with her friends one night when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with his ex.  Ashley takes off running in the dark and ends up falling down a ravine and crushes her foot beneath a rock.  Completely disoriented and majorly hurt, Ashley begins trekking through the forest, at first in hopes of finding her friends, but then in hopes of finding any sign of humanity.  Trusting her survival skills, including plant identification and direction finding, she works her way through the dense forest, reevaluating her life along the way.  This is a harrowing and dark tale, but ultimately hopeful as Ashley proves what you can accomplish if you never give up.  This is a page-turner and a must read for fans of Hatchet and Lost on a Mountain in Maine.  Recommended for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library