Survivors: Stranded, Book 3

The kids are in constant peril as they climb down a sheer cliff, are hit by a mudslide, and think they see a shark when they're in the water. Buzz is stung by a jellyfish, Carter has a fever as a cut on his hand grows more and more infected, and Vanessa nearly suffocates when she's trapped under mud. Some readers may be disturbed that the characters use a rock, a knife, and a spear to kill animals, including a snake, grubs, and fish. Also, Vanessa shows the skeleton she found of a former shipwreck victim, making it clear to the kids that survival will be tough.

Parents need to know that Survivors is the third and final installment of a series about kids stranded on a deserted island, cowritten by Survivor host Jeff Probst. There's no vivid violence, but the kids are in constant peril: Buzz is stung by a jellyfish, Carter has a fever as a cut on his hand grows more and more infected, and Vanessa nearly suffocates when she's trapped under mud. Vanessa also shows the skeleton of a former shipwreck victim, which underscores their small chances of survival. Some readers may be disturbed that the hungry kids use a rock, a knife, and a spear to kill animals, including a snake, grubs, and fish. Each character works hard to push past his or her comfort zone to help the group survive. Although characters have squabbled in the past, here they learn to appreciate one another and openly praise one another's smart solutions. The overall message of this book (and the series) is that each character has individual strengths, but, if they want to survive, they all need to work together. Readers will pick up some basic information about survival: that grubs are full of protein, fresh fronds will create bright white smoke (good for signal fires) -- even that peeing on a jelly fish sting reduces the pain.