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96 Miles

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96 Miles
By J.L. Esplin
New York: Starscape, 2020.  Fiction.

13-year-old John Lockwood and his younger brother Stew are on their own.  The boys live out in the middle of nowhere Nevada with their dad, a known "prepper" and survivalist.  But when Dad goes on a business trip to North Carolina, leaving the boys under the supervision of the nearest (not very near) neighbor, the unthinkable happens when a widespread, long-term power outage occurs and the brothers are suddenly left to their own devices.  After being plunged into a desperate race for survival, they come across a girl John's age, Cleverly, and her little brother Will, and the four kids strike out across the desert in search of Brighton Ranch...96 miles away.

Be sure to set aside some time for this one because once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down -- it's a page-turning, suspenseful ride!  Esplin sucks you into the action from the very first line, and the pace just doesn't slow down.  A tale of ingenuity, adversity, and the tenacity of the human spirit, 96 Miles also tells the powerful story of two brothers and the lengths they'll go to for each other.  If you're searching for a great new survival story (or to bait a reluctant reader), look no further!

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