Survival Stories
From outdoor survival adventures and apocalyptic fiction to locked room stories and true survival tales, you'll find both chills and inspiration to keep you at the edge of your seat.
* Indicates the title is appropriate for middle school readers. See grade recommendation in parenthesis. Graphic novels are included.
SURVIVAL AGAINST THE ELEMENTS
Watership Down: the Graphic Novel* by Richard Adams (Gr. 7+)
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
The Raft* by S.A. Bodeen (Gr. 6+)
The Canyon's Edge* Dusti Bowling (Gr. 5+)
Not If I Save You First* by Ally Carter (Gr. 8+)
Jumper by Melanie Crowder
96 Miles* by JL Esplin (Gr. 6+)
Adrift by Paul Griffin
Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
Inuunira: My Story of Survival* by Brian Koonoo (Gr. 7+)
The Call of the Wild* by Jack London (Gr. 7+)
I Am Still Alive* by Kate Marshall (Gr. 8 +)
Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis
Touching Spirit Bear* by Ben Mikaelsen (Gr. 7+)
Trapped* by Michael Northrop (Gr. 7+)
Hatchet* (Brian's Saga, Book 1 and other survival novels) by Gary Paulsen (Gr. 7+)
Dry by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman
Peak (China and Nepal)* by Roland Smith (Gr. 6+)
LOCKED ROOM THRILLERS
No Exit by Taylor Adams
The Compound* by S.A. Bodeen (Gr. 7+)
The Echo Room* by Parker Peevyhouse (Gr. 8+)
Girl, Stolen* by April Henry (Gr. 8+)
Never Coming Home by Kate Williams
APOCALYPTIC FICTION
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
The Island* by Natasha Preston (Gr. 8+)
WARTIME & HISTORICAL SURVIVAL FICTION
To Stay Alive: Mary Ann Graves and the Tragic Journey of the Donner Party* (Novel in verse) by Skila Brown (Gr. 6+)
Salt to the Sea* by Ruta Sepetys (Gr. 8+)
TRUE SURVIVAL TALES
Abandon Ship! A True WWII Story of Disaster and Survival* by Mike Tougias (Gr. 6+)
Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team* by Christina Soontornvat (Gr. 5+)
The Finest Hours: The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue* by Mike Tougias (Gr. 5+)
Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Germany* by Steve Sheinkin (Gr. 8+)
Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure* by Martin Sandler (Gr. 5+)
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Lost In the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop to Drink* by Tod Olson (Gr. 6+)
Race to the Bottom of the Earth: Surviving Antarctica* by Rebecca Barone (Gr. 5+)
Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex* by Nathaniel Philbrick (Gr. 6+)
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance* by Jennifer Armstrong (Gr. 5+)
Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of 'The Children's Ship'* by Deborah Heiligman (Gr. 5+)
Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert* by Marc Aronson (Gr. 7+)
Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand