Sole Survivor

A riveting survival adventure like Hatchet but real, this astounding true story from two New York Times–bestselling authors chronicles how a California sixth grader survived a deadly mountainside plane crash during a snowstorm.

Eleven-year-old Norman Ollestad is no stranger to extreme danger. Whether it’s surfing big swells off Topanga Beach or skiing in a blizzard, his thrill-seeking father hurls him from one adrenaline rush to another, pushing his son to realize that “anything’s possible.” And with Dad by his side, sometimes Norman believes him.

That motto is put to the ultimate test when, en route to claim a race trophy Norman won the day before, the sketchy small plane they’ve chartered crashes in the San Gabriel Mountains during a snowstorm, killing the pilot and his father—the one person Norman has always counted on for help and encouragement—and badly injuring his dad’s girlfriend. Trapped six thousand feet above sea level, Norman is left to contend with his grief and with his dire circumstances. Should he wait for help and hope rescue arrives before hypothermia sets in, or brave the brutal cold and have a shot at making it out alive?

But scaling down a steep, ice-covered peak is unlike any challenge Norman has faced before. One mistake could be the difference between another step toward safety and a very long fall.

Inspired by the harrowing true experience of New York Times–bestselling author Norman Ollestad, this astonishing, action-packed survival story, co-written with New York Times–bestselling author Brendan Kiely, is about the complicated forces—and people—that shape us. Fast-paced and unputdownable, Sole Survivor is the perfect read for fans of Dusti Bowling’s The Canyon’s Edge, Megan E. Freeman’s Alone, and the I Survived series.