Survivor Diaries: Dust Storm!, writen by Terry Lynn Johnson, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Survivor Diaries: Avalanche! is the final book in a four part series. Once again, we find the reporter interviewing Jen, a middle school aged student who, on a group geo-caching trip, found herself and former best friend lost in the New Mexico desert in a dust storm. After the storm subsided, Jen and Martin struggle to survive the desert heat by day, cold and coyotes by night. They fight to find water, make shelter, and not get eaten. Guided by a burrow, weather real, spirit, or hallucination, they rely on each other and skills they learned from school, reading, and camping to find their way to safety. Accompanied by real survival facts in the back of the book, this story will thrill any reader who is interested in adventure, survival, or the outdoors. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: The final book in the series, it held up to the others, but I was slightly disappointed in the level of action and character development. Jen and Martin are lost in the desert. Though they have a small encounter with coyotes, most of the storyline centers around the search for water and shade. This makes the book move a little slower than the rest. Also, I found Martin’s character to be very whiney, but in contrast, that made Jen’s character look smart and in control. I did like the discussion and resolution of their friendship. In the beginning of the book it seems as if the two despise each other. As the story develops, you realize neither wanted to lose their friendship, and both would like to repair it. For me, this book centered more around relying on their friendship to survive rather than specific survival skills. 
Once again, the book is 109 pages, filled with large text and a number of pictures. It’s got the reference glossary at the back of the book, and has the online game to accompany it. 

After reading all four books in the series, I HIGHLY recommend them for upper-el or middle school readers. I think they have the ability to grab and hook any low reader, especially those with an interest in adventure, survival, or the outdoors. Each story was a fantastic page-turner, keeping my attention locked from page one to the very end. Each book in the series features two main characters, one boy, one girl. In every book they have a different relationship, whether they are friends, siblings, or classmates. I think exploring these different stages and types of friendship is a really cool side-element of these stories. Every book features the large text and pictures, and is accompanied by the online game to test the reader’s survival skills. These books have a great appeal for readers who struggle to stay focused. Because the action moves so rapidly from one event to the next, there is hardly time to take a breath in between pages, and certainly no time to become bored while reading. My only hope is that Johnson continues to write more books in this series, as I think they will be so appealing to my lower readers, and they may be that book that inspires them to build a love for reading.