Survivor Girl

When Ali has to spend the week with her dad and older brother working on his survivalist tv show, Survivor Guy, she's not as excited as she should be.  She's been telling anyone who would listen for years about her excellent survival skills and the cool trips she's been on with her dad, but none of it is really true.  She's read all the books, but she's never really had an adventure of her own, and now she's afraid the truth will come out when she looks like a total wimp on tv.

But Ali quickly realizes her dad isn't the survivalist she thought he was.  Survivor Guy is a massive production with luxury campers, a props department, and even a chef.  Everything on the show is fake, and Ali is having a difficult time accepting the truth. 

She's also in denial about her family.  She believes her family will be whole again if her parents could just spend some time together without fighting, but all this time on set with her dad is making it more difficult to believe.

When a disaster strikes, Ali will have to put all her reading and survival skills to the test in a life and death situation.

This adventure tale by Erin Teagan was engaging and suspenseful.  Ali is believable as a young girl who accepts her father at face value while struggling to be honest with herself and her friends about her own life.  Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy a good survival story.