The Raft

I love all plane crash, lost at sea survival books. This one did not disappoint. I loved it from beginning to end. The story flowed so well and kept me wanting to read more. I couldn't put this one down and read it within a day. This is my first by this author and I will be reading more.

My granddaughter told me about this book. After I got a copy and read it I knew one of my other grandchildren would enjoy it too. So I got her a copy. We need to encourage reading today and use our minds for more than tech.

I remember reading Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor in junior high and being terrified. I don't want to bob around at sea with no idea what was going to happen to me, slowly going mad by dehydration. My husband is terrified of the ocean, and while I mock him for it endlessly, I can see where his fear comes from, especially after reading The Raft by S.A. Bodeen.Robie lives on the Midway Atoll with her biologist parents. People think it is cool to live on an atoll, but when you are the only teenager, there is rarely an internet connection, and the only food and movies you have are the ones you schlepped over on a limited space cargo plane, you lose sight of the "coolness" quickly. So after sometime in Hawaii, she makes an impromptu decision to return home ahead of schedule. She secures a space on a cargo plane with a pilot she knows and trusts and his new copilot, Max. All is going well until an unexpected storm sends the plane hurtling into the ocean.While Max manages to throw her out of the plan and they get into the raft, all is not well and safe. bobbing around the ocean in a raft is the furthest thing from Robie's bucket list, and now, without out food or fresh water, surviving the plane crash may have been a wasted effort. Max won't even respond to her most of the time, but his stories are comforting at least. Unfortunately, they can't survive on comfort, and as the days roll on, their chances of making it off the raft in one piece become smaller, especially when sharks are beneath them, fishing is pretty much impossible, and there is no rain in sight. Will Robie live to see civilization, or will she succumb to the sea?Here is the thing about S.A. Bodeen. She knows how to throw a twist you didn't see coming. In The Compound, she threw a twist that changed the ENTIRE intent of the book and had my head spinning. In this book, the twist isn't nearly as large, but it is pretty significant. Enough so to make you stop and say, "Hey! You got me!" That makes for a fun and entertaining book. Robie is an intereting character because her little acts of rebellion, like piercing her nose, pale in comparison to her will to survive. I don't think I could have done what she did to stay alive. You will like Robie from the start of the book and will find yourself cheering for her straight through to the last page.Since this is a short book and is quite interesting, I will most likely keep it on my shelf for kids who struggle to get something to hold their attention. The monkey wrench in the middle will hold them through and the idea of surviving is great material for discussions. I didn't think the story was mind-blowing, but it was good entertainment and will appeal to a good deal of my students. The writing is neither simplistic nor intricate, so this is a perfect book for your average young adult reader. Still, I am impressed how Bodeen can get me every time!

Great story telling; very well done. A captivating survival narrative from the mind and eyes of a spoiled but precocious 15-year-old girl. A quick and emotional read that’s hard to put down.

I loved this book. I got drawn into it because I've read some of S.A Bodeen's other books. It was so good I stayed up all night reading it. I strongly recommend

The Raft tells the story of Robie, a teen from tiny Midway Atoll who, after some ill advised decisions while visiting family in Hawaii, ends up on a cargo plane headed for home one stormy night. As the reader can discern from the cover, the worst happens and the plane pitches into the ocean, and she ends up on a raft adrift somewhere in the Pacific, struggling to survive.Ms. Bodeen is a competent writer - the grammar is fine, the style is fine, and the chapters are divided in a way that makes sense. What can I say? I spent the entire book waiting for it to grab me. As Robie encounters obstacles and the reader is a party to her internal dialogue, it just never clicks. I never developed sympathy for her plight. I never worried if she would overcome. And by the time the book was ending, I felt like we were somehow still stuck in the first movement. I guess I would compare it to a tv movie that you put on when you are folding laundry or wrapping presents.In short - if the price gets drastically reduced - say $2.99 or so, it might be worth it. Otherwise, I'd try something like Enclave by Ann Aguirre or Divergent by Veronica Roth.

"The Raft" is a book about 15-year-old Robie Mitchell who must stay at her aunt's apartment in Honolulu, Hawaii, until she returns. Her aunt's friend, who is to check on Robie every day while her aunt is away, is not able to do so. Robie seizes the opportunity to be the independent girl she's always wanted to be. Things don't seem to be all sunshine for Robie after a shaking experience on the streets of Honolulu. This sends Robie into panic, bad enough that she boards a plane to Midway Atoll to see her parents. However, something on the plane goes horribly wrong and she is forced onto an inflatable raft in the middle of the ocean with the plane's co-pilot, being the only 2 survivors of the crash. As the days go on, the struggle to survive becomes more and more difficult and Robie begins to see that she is on the verge of utter insanity.Robie is a likable character that is the mirror image of what most of us may be like in this situation. Her panic is realistic and it makes you care about her. You may find yourself rooting for her, as I did, even in the most unlucky of situations. "The Raft" is a real eye-opener as to how lucky we really are with our life. It took me a while to become hooked (taking as long as the street situation for me to get interested), but when I did, I could not put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who likes survival stories with a touch of mystery.

I liked the twist that Max wasn't real because it was bitterest but felt so real and the same time and Brandys death was so sad.

I read this in tandem with my son, it was a race to read chapter by chapter. The story twisted and turned and at several points had us both close to tears or reading with wide eyes and open mouths

This is a survival book about a character who survives by pure luck and through help from another, and not at all by her own wit or skills. She is an annoying teenager who irritated us for the entire book. She does nothing to help the situation! It does have a study guide, which was nicely done. We thought that 8-10 year olds might enjoy this book than young teens.