“If you’re quiet in the woods long enough, you’ll hear something die. Then it’s quiet again.”
Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis is one of the most gripping books I have read in a while. I was hooked enough that I was sad when my study hall ended (which never happens), and I kept reading in advisory because I needed to know how it ended.
Be Not Far From Me was nominated for a North Star YA Award but sadly did not win. I haven’t read the books that did win, so I can’t compare them, but I can say this book was most definitely worthy of the nomination.
This book tells the story of a teenage girl named Ashley, who gets lost in the woods after she runs away from a party. She finds herself in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the clothes she is wearing, and with a badly damaged foot that has been crushed by a boulder. Fortunately, Ashley has many survival skills that she learned from her former camp instructor, Davey Beet, and she puts them to good use while fighting an infection and trying to find her way back to civilization.
Throughout the story, Ashley learns a lot about herself and connects with Davey Beet on a level she never thought she could. I found this book really inspiring, and I admire Ashely’s determination and strength. There were many times in the story when I thought about how if it was me, I would have given up, but Ashley found a way to pull through and do things most people couldn’t.
There are a lot of graphic details in this book, and as someone who isn’t usually bothered by anything gory, I’ll admit it was worse than I thought it would be. So if you don’t do well with graphic descriptions of open wounds and animals dying (among other things) I would suggest skipping those pages or finding a different book.
If you enjoy wilderness survival stories and thrillers, I recommend this book to you and I think you will find it hard to put down.