Adrift - by Tanya Guerrero

About the Book

The resilience of two cousins is tested when one of them is lost at sea and washes up on a deserted island while the other remains at home, holding on to the belief that her beloved cousin is still alive.

Book Synopsis

From Tanya Guerrero, the author of All You Knead Is Love and How to Make Friends with the Sea, comes Adrift, an upper middle grade contemporary story of survival and grief about two biracial Filipino cousins whose resilience is tested when one of them is lost at sea.

Cousins Coral and Isa are so close that they're practically siblings; their mothers are sisters, and the two girls grew up on the same small island. When Coral and her parents leave on a months-long sea voyage amid the islands of Indonesia, Isa is devastated that they'll be kept apart, and the two vow to write to each other no matter what.

Then the unthinkable happens, and Coral's boat capsizes at sea, where her parents vanish. Washed up on a deserted island, alone and wracked by grief, she must find the strength within to survive, and find her way back home. Meanwhile, Isa is still on Pebble Island, the only one holding out hope that her beloved cousin is still alive.

Told in alternating points of view, this is a powerful story of loss and hope, love and family--and the unexpected resilience of the human spirit.

Review Quotes

"Guerrero adroitly unfolds this tale of grief and triumph by showing a visceral story of determination alongside the effects a tragedy has on the people left behind. This is a stirring page-turner that will move readers to appreciate the people in their lives." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"A pulse-pounding story of survival and friendship. It's not easy being shipwrecked... but worrying and waiting at home is no picnic either. If you like survival stories, you're going to love this book!" --Nick Courage, author of Storm Blown and Snow Struck

"Adrift isn't just an exciting survival story about a girl trying to survive alone on an island. It's a layered, emotional adventure about a child's fortitude, the power of family, and the soul's unstoppable will to return to those we love most." --Dusti Bowling, bestselling and award-winning author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

"Hatchet meets The Thing About Jellyfish in this riveting literary page-turner about survival, friendship, grief and hope. Readers will love this classic in the making." --April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen and Two Truths and a Lie

"This is an insightful and heartfelt book that balances a strong representation of Filipino culture with a heartfelt message about how it is okay to not be okay." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

About the Author

Tanya Guerrero is the author of Adrift, All You Knead is Love, and How to Make Friends with the Sea. Filipino and Spanish by birth, she has been fortunate enough to call three countries home: the Philippines, Spain, and the United States. Currently, she lives in a shipping container home in the suburbs of Manila with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of rescued cats and dogs. In her free time, she grows her own food, bakes bread, and reads.