What do you think?
Rate this book
The Raft
The Raft is a thrilling novel of survival from award-winning author S.A. Bodeen.
Robie is an experienced traveler. She's taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there's a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn't panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.
And then . . . she's in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that's when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there's no sign of help on the way.
Robie is an experienced traveler. She's taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there's a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn't panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.
And then . . . she's in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that's when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there's no sign of help on the way.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2012
778 people are currently reading
11822 people want to read
About the author
S.A. Bodeen
17 books747 followersAlso writes as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen.
Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her young adult novels include the award-winning The Compound and The Raft, and her next YA The Detour releases October 2015. The first two volumes of her middle grade series, Shipwreck Island and Lost, are available now.
Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her young adult novels include the award-winning The Compound and The Raft, and her next YA The Detour releases October 2015. The first two volumes of her middle grade series, Shipwreck Island and Lost, are available now.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,622 reviews
June 20, 2018
NO NO NO
BAD BAD BAD
PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH
spoiler alert: this book is not very good
seriously, i am not the one to come to for one-star book reviews. i rarely give a book one star. so you know when i hate a book, i HAAAATE a book. and i hated this one with every part of me that there is.
this book has the most infuriating "protagonist" that i have ever encountered, ever. ever.
here's a quick nature lesson from the book:
the young albatross touched down in the water when they got tired. some of them didn't understand they had to fold in their wings, because once their wings got wet, they couldn't fly. so the stupid ones held their wings out as they sat in the water, but they weren't strong enough to keep them up for long, so of course they drooped until they touched the water and the feathers got wet.
then the young birds couldn't take off.
and they were doomed.
this is called "survival of the fittest" in the animal kingdom. and these birds become food for tiger sharks, and cannot live long enough to pass on their "stupid" genes.
so what have we established here? our protagonist is aware that stupid doesn't survive. so why then, after a plane crash, , leaves her bobbing on a raft in the middle of the ocean, do the following passages occur??
i put the flashlight in my mouth and got up on my knees. i peeled off the wax, said a silent prayer, and pointed the flare towards the direction of the plane. i pulled the fuse and held out the flare with one hand, keeping the other tight on the side of the raft.
sparks flew out and with a great rushing whistle, the flare went off. and up. the cylinder in my hand was empty.
all the fireworks followed an arc up into the sky where they lasted about ten seconds then dispersed into small stars trickling back down.
my mouth dropped open, and the flashlight fell into the water. "no!" i grabbed for it but it was too late, and could only watch the light spiral down and around, down and around, growing fainter and fainter, then finally fading away.
oh. my. god.
amazing.
but wait.
taking a deep breath, i put my foot over the side and started to slide out of the raft and into the water. but then i locked my elbows on the edge,refusing to go farther. my weight on the side of the empty raft made it flip over, trapping me underneath.
i screamed and grabbed for the raft, pushing it up. "get it off! get it off!" even though, for the moment, i could breathe just fine within the pocket of air between me and the capsized raft, the feeling of my legs just hanging there, treading, was more than i could take. "get it off me!" i screamed. i couldn't stand it anymore and didn't wait for max. instead, i shoved up with all my strength, throwing the raft off me.
as i did, the ditty bag attached to my arm slipped off. i grabbed for it, catching it by the bottom. red and green and purple and yellow and orange dots rained down around me, some pelting me.
skittles.
"no!"i scrambled, splashing as i tried to grab them, but they were everywhere, sinking. how could i have forgotten to close the bag?
wow. way to panic unnecessarily and lose your entire food supply. too bad you didn't close that bag.
with all the birds, there had to be eggs on the island. but even if i did get up the nerve to eat one, there was no way to cook them.
i stubbed my toe and reached down to pick up the blue culprit. a plastic cigarette lighter. i opened my hand and let it drop back to the sand. there were thousands of them on the beaches at midway, and looking around, i saw them everywhere. useless.
hmmm. it's like you were just talking about needing fire and then you found a lighter. useless, indeed.
and it's not like these are the end of her stupid moves.
maybe finish reading the survival at sea card that is right there in the boat with you? i mean, what else are you going to do? instead, she skims it, and misses out on vital information that could have come in handy, oh, days ago.
and maybe obey the instructions, instead of thinking you know better. because you don't. you have proved that numerous times.
oh, and you just got your nose pierced and were warned against getting seawater in it and now you are trapped at sea on a raft and it is getting infected and painful because of all the seawater? take out your nose ring. for real. just take it out.like you need more discomfort while you are suffering from exposure and all that. dummy.
and all the whining from this terrible klutzy dummy:
-i didn't want to
-i decided to ignore
-i'm not going back out there
-no. i couldn't.
-i flung myself onto the wet sand and lay there.
i didn't have to do anything.
i just had to lie there. lie there and bleed to death.
lie there and die.
i didn't care. i didn't have to do anything.
i didn't.
yup. it's true. you don't.
and it just keeps going
sometimes, words fail me.
on my stomach, i started to stroke with my arms as i kicked. but i didn't like the water coming up in my face, and the ditty bag on my arm hampered my progress. so i flipped over on my back.
even as a kid, i had done okay on my back.
i breathed out. that was better. much better. i didn't feel like anything was dangling.
but i also couldn't see where i was going, could only guess. i pulled with my arms and kicked for a count of ten, then stopped to turn and see where the raft was.
after doing that three or four times, i realized i wasn't even gaining on the raft. i might even be losing. so i did the dog paddle, which seemed even slower than my backstroke had been.
max was close behind me and called out, "you need to swim on your stomach. just aim for the raft, hold your breath, and go."
i didn't want to.
wow. that is nearly slapstick in its inefficiency and teenage whininess. how can you root for this girl? a girl who refused to put on her life vest as the plane was going down and then yelled at the man who threw her out of the plane, saving her life.
wow. just wow.
this book has some very interesting information about albatrosses, if you are interested, but seems to believe that sharks are stalkers that come about at the most inopportune times to eat stuff you need, when you are adrift at sea. bizarre.
there is more i want to yell about, but i am incredibly drained. i was so looking forward to this book, and i borrowed it from work practically the day it came out and read it on one sitting, but it was the worst one-sitting read i have ever suffered through, and there were many shouts of dismay from me until i decided to just give up on liking it and laugh at it instead.
i feel kind of bad about my one-star rating, but i didn't write the trainwreck, and this book was asking for it.
come to my blog!
BAD BAD BAD
PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH
spoiler alert: this book is not very good
seriously, i am not the one to come to for one-star book reviews. i rarely give a book one star. so you know when i hate a book, i HAAAATE a book. and i hated this one with every part of me that there is.
this book has the most infuriating "protagonist" that i have ever encountered, ever. ever.
here's a quick nature lesson from the book:
the young albatross touched down in the water when they got tired. some of them didn't understand they had to fold in their wings, because once their wings got wet, they couldn't fly. so the stupid ones held their wings out as they sat in the water, but they weren't strong enough to keep them up for long, so of course they drooped until they touched the water and the feathers got wet.
then the young birds couldn't take off.
and they were doomed.
this is called "survival of the fittest" in the animal kingdom. and these birds become food for tiger sharks, and cannot live long enough to pass on their "stupid" genes.
so what have we established here? our protagonist is aware that stupid doesn't survive. so why then, after a plane crash, , leaves her bobbing on a raft in the middle of the ocean, do the following passages occur??
i put the flashlight in my mouth and got up on my knees. i peeled off the wax, said a silent prayer, and pointed the flare towards the direction of the plane. i pulled the fuse and held out the flare with one hand, keeping the other tight on the side of the raft.
sparks flew out and with a great rushing whistle, the flare went off. and up. the cylinder in my hand was empty.
all the fireworks followed an arc up into the sky where they lasted about ten seconds then dispersed into small stars trickling back down.
my mouth dropped open, and the flashlight fell into the water. "no!" i grabbed for it but it was too late, and could only watch the light spiral down and around, down and around, growing fainter and fainter, then finally fading away.
oh. my. god.
amazing.
but wait.
taking a deep breath, i put my foot over the side and started to slide out of the raft and into the water. but then i locked my elbows on the edge,refusing to go farther. my weight on the side of the empty raft made it flip over, trapping me underneath.
i screamed and grabbed for the raft, pushing it up. "get it off! get it off!" even though, for the moment, i could breathe just fine within the pocket of air between me and the capsized raft, the feeling of my legs just hanging there, treading, was more than i could take. "get it off me!" i screamed. i couldn't stand it anymore and didn't wait for max. instead, i shoved up with all my strength, throwing the raft off me.
as i did, the ditty bag attached to my arm slipped off. i grabbed for it, catching it by the bottom. red and green and purple and yellow and orange dots rained down around me, some pelting me.
skittles.
"no!"i scrambled, splashing as i tried to grab them, but they were everywhere, sinking. how could i have forgotten to close the bag?
wow. way to panic unnecessarily and lose your entire food supply. too bad you didn't close that bag.
with all the birds, there had to be eggs on the island. but even if i did get up the nerve to eat one, there was no way to cook them.
i stubbed my toe and reached down to pick up the blue culprit. a plastic cigarette lighter. i opened my hand and let it drop back to the sand. there were thousands of them on the beaches at midway, and looking around, i saw them everywhere. useless.
hmmm. it's like you were just talking about needing fire and then you found a lighter. useless, indeed.
and it's not like these are the end of her stupid moves.
maybe finish reading the survival at sea card that is right there in the boat with you? i mean, what else are you going to do? instead, she skims it, and misses out on vital information that could have come in handy, oh, days ago.
and maybe obey the instructions, instead of thinking you know better. because you don't. you have proved that numerous times.
oh, and you just got your nose pierced and were warned against getting seawater in it and now you are trapped at sea on a raft and it is getting infected and painful because of all the seawater? take out your nose ring. for real. just take it out.like you need more discomfort while you are suffering from exposure and all that. dummy.
and all the whining from this terrible klutzy dummy:
-i didn't want to
-i decided to ignore
-i'm not going back out there
-no. i couldn't.
-i flung myself onto the wet sand and lay there.
i didn't have to do anything.
i just had to lie there. lie there and bleed to death.
lie there and die.
i didn't care. i didn't have to do anything.
i didn't.
yup. it's true. you don't.
and it just keeps going
sometimes, words fail me.
on my stomach, i started to stroke with my arms as i kicked. but i didn't like the water coming up in my face, and the ditty bag on my arm hampered my progress. so i flipped over on my back.
even as a kid, i had done okay on my back.
i breathed out. that was better. much better. i didn't feel like anything was dangling.
but i also couldn't see where i was going, could only guess. i pulled with my arms and kicked for a count of ten, then stopped to turn and see where the raft was.
after doing that three or four times, i realized i wasn't even gaining on the raft. i might even be losing. so i did the dog paddle, which seemed even slower than my backstroke had been.
max was close behind me and called out, "you need to swim on your stomach. just aim for the raft, hold your breath, and go."
i didn't want to.
wow. that is nearly slapstick in its inefficiency and teenage whininess. how can you root for this girl? a girl who refused to put on her life vest as the plane was going down and then yelled at the man who threw her out of the plane, saving her life.
wow. just wow.
this book has some very interesting information about albatrosses, if you are interested, but seems to believe that sharks are stalkers that come about at the most inopportune times to eat stuff you need, when you are adrift at sea. bizarre.
there is more i want to yell about, but i am incredibly drained. i was so looking forward to this book, and i borrowed it from work practically the day it came out and read it on one sitting, but it was the worst one-sitting read i have ever suffered through, and there were many shouts of dismay from me until i decided to just give up on liking it and laugh at it instead.
i feel kind of bad about my one-star rating, but i didn't write the trainwreck, and this book was asking for it.
come to my blog!
February 19, 2023
Die Eltern der 15-jährigen Robie sind Biologen und arbeiten derzeit auf dem Midway-Atoll. Robie ist zu Besuch bei ihrer Tante auf Hawaii. Als die Tante kurzfristig beruflich verreisen muss, beschließt Robie, zu ihren Eltern zurückzufliegen. Sie fliegt mit dem Versorgungsflugzeug mit, ohne vorher ihrer Tante und ihren Eltern Bescheid zu sagen. Mitten über dem Pazifik stürzt das Flugzeug ab. Der Co-Pilot Max kann Robie in das Rettungsfloß ziehen, doch dann stirbt er. Robie ist auf sich allein gestellt und niemand weiß, dass sie in dem Absturzflugzeug war. Ein harter Überlebenskampf beginnt.
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Das Buch hat zwar nur knapp über 200 Seiten, aber trotzdem habe ich die Geschichte als sehr intensiv empfunden. Robies Schicksal hat mich wirklich mitgenommen und wird mich auch jetzt nach dem Beenden des Buches noch eine Weile beschäftigen.
Die Geschichte hat mich sehr gefesselt. Sie ist einfach geschrieben, aber doch sehr packend und irgendwie mit Sog-Wirkung. Die Kapitel sind auch relativ kurz und lassen sich schnell "weglesen".
Robie ist eine sympathische Protagonistin, und ich konnte sehr mit ihr mitfühlen. Wie authentisch bzw. wirklichkeitsnah die Geschichte ist, kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber mir kam Robies Überlebenskampf auf dem Meer doch sehr realitätsnah vor.
Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen und hatte schöne bzw. spannende Lesestunden damit.
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Das Buch hat zwar nur knapp über 200 Seiten, aber trotzdem habe ich die Geschichte als sehr intensiv empfunden. Robies Schicksal hat mich wirklich mitgenommen und wird mich auch jetzt nach dem Beenden des Buches noch eine Weile beschäftigen.
Die Geschichte hat mich sehr gefesselt. Sie ist einfach geschrieben, aber doch sehr packend und irgendwie mit Sog-Wirkung. Die Kapitel sind auch relativ kurz und lassen sich schnell "weglesen".
Robie ist eine sympathische Protagonistin, und ich konnte sehr mit ihr mitfühlen. Wie authentisch bzw. wirklichkeitsnah die Geschichte ist, kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber mir kam Robies Überlebenskampf auf dem Meer doch sehr realitätsnah vor.
Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen und hatte schöne bzw. spannende Lesestunden damit.
September 29, 2012
The Raft was such a fast read. I was gobbling up the book and finished it in one sitting. While I was on a 7 hour airplane ride. Now I only mentioned where I read this book because The Raft is about an airplane ride gone wrong. The airplane crashes and the main protagonist ends up having to survive using only a raft and Max. So imagine how my nerves were every time we hit turbulence; my stomach would drop down to my feet. However I believe that actually made me enjoy the book even more!
Robie always takes flights from where she lives to Honolulu whenever she feels like taking a break from her town and visiting her aunt. However due to some circumstances, her aunt had to leave and Robie stayed home alone at her aunt's house with the condition that her aunt's friend would check on her everyday, but what are the odds when the friend calls AFTER the aunt leaves and tells Robie she can't come and to tell her aunt that she's sorry. Of course Robie wanting to experience freedom says thank you to the friend and never mentions it to her aunt. One night Robie almost got robbed at night and was so scared that she went to the cargo airplane that was about to take off and asked if she can ride this flight. However when the air turbulence got so bad to the point of crashing, the co-pilot Max, throws Robie off the airplane and into an inflatable raft and jumps after her. This is when the survival lessons begin.
I am always fascinated by the survival stories. How can a person survive through days without water? or alone in a place no one will find you without losing your mind? How can a sheltered girl somehow becomes strong in thinking and skills when it is required? Our bodies seem to always surprise and exceed the limitations we put on them during these times, and our brains also seem to know how to act in such situations. Robie is an example of that. She took care of Max, he was always asleep because of his concussion, she learnt quickly how to get food, water, to keep her mind busy before she lost it and to never lose hope. From time to time Max would wake up and talk about himself, which seems to be the only connection she had to human life. She was a true survivor. The way S.A. Bodeen wrote The Raft with just one setting, one person, and barely another conscious one was just addicting. When I first started The Raft I had my reservations: How can I read about one person thinking throughout the whole book in one setting without much interaction? let me just say again that I could NOT put the book down no matter how sleepy I got. It was pure enthrallment.
As for the ending, boy was that an emotional ending, you might think this is a simple survival novel, but what S.A. Bodeen threw at the end totally shocked me and had me shouting "WOW! Genius!!". I will not post any spoilers in case you want to read it. The Raft was another amazing survival novel that strengthened my love for survival novels even more! With so little to work with, I mean it is set in a RAFT, S.A. Bodeen knew how to keep the readers hooked and unable to stop her novel till the end!
Robie always takes flights from where she lives to Honolulu whenever she feels like taking a break from her town and visiting her aunt. However due to some circumstances, her aunt had to leave and Robie stayed home alone at her aunt's house with the condition that her aunt's friend would check on her everyday, but what are the odds when the friend calls AFTER the aunt leaves and tells Robie she can't come and to tell her aunt that she's sorry. Of course Robie wanting to experience freedom says thank you to the friend and never mentions it to her aunt. One night Robie almost got robbed at night and was so scared that she went to the cargo airplane that was about to take off and asked if she can ride this flight. However when the air turbulence got so bad to the point of crashing, the co-pilot Max, throws Robie off the airplane and into an inflatable raft and jumps after her. This is when the survival lessons begin.
I am always fascinated by the survival stories. How can a person survive through days without water? or alone in a place no one will find you without losing your mind? How can a sheltered girl somehow becomes strong in thinking and skills when it is required? Our bodies seem to always surprise and exceed the limitations we put on them during these times, and our brains also seem to know how to act in such situations. Robie is an example of that. She took care of Max, he was always asleep because of his concussion, she learnt quickly how to get food, water, to keep her mind busy before she lost it and to never lose hope. From time to time Max would wake up and talk about himself, which seems to be the only connection she had to human life. She was a true survivor. The way S.A. Bodeen wrote The Raft with just one setting, one person, and barely another conscious one was just addicting. When I first started The Raft I had my reservations: How can I read about one person thinking throughout the whole book in one setting without much interaction? let me just say again that I could NOT put the book down no matter how sleepy I got. It was pure enthrallment.
As for the ending, boy was that an emotional ending, you might think this is a simple survival novel, but what S.A. Bodeen threw at the end totally shocked me and had me shouting "WOW! Genius!!". I will not post any spoilers in case you want to read it. The Raft was another amazing survival novel that strengthened my love for survival novels even more! With so little to work with, I mean it is set in a RAFT, S.A. Bodeen knew how to keep the readers hooked and unable to stop her novel till the end!
March 11, 2012
This book is going to be difficult to review because I am in two minds.
On one hand, I like that it wasn’t POW POW POW SO EXCITING OMG OMG LOOKING EVERYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING AND OH MY GOD IS THAT A POLAR BEAR?!
Ms Bodeen showed the monotony of being stranded on a raft. Thankfully, I have never been in a plane crash and the closest I’ve ever been to being stranded on a raft is when my brother once stole the paddles of the dinghy and pushed me into the middle of a swimming pool.
But I imagine that it is incredibly repetitive and boring. So, yes, this book was realistic.
But then on the other hand: This book was repetitive and boring. I know it’s a Catch 22 because if it had been POW POW POW etc etc, I would have probably moaned that it was unrealistic.
Hey, I never said I was being fair.
The writing seemed almost clinical and removed but I wanted more panic and peril. Robie described the plane crashing in the same tone as she did when she described watching a Battlestar Galactica marathon on TV. I mean, I’ve never seen Battlestar Galactica and I know a lot of people love it and it’s exciting, but surely a plane crash would get your blood pumping just a little bit more?
I didn’t like Robie. She was so frustrating. And I’m not saying I’d be the best person in a situation like that because I wouldn’t be. I’d be awful company, but I would like to think I wouldn’t be so stupid.
You’re in the middle of an ocean and there is a chance you might never be rescued and there are sharks circling and you’re whinging because your nose ring is hurting? Um…
All she seemed to do was moan, eat Skittles and then have a nap. Seriously.
If you exchanged Skittles for Minstrels, that’s a day in the life for me and there is a reason why no one has written a book about my life.
….yet.
Also, about 15% through I made a little note on a passage that said “HA…oh god, I bet [blank] LOLOLOL” (my review notes are most scientific), thinking that there was no way that was going to happen.
Heh heh… guess what happened?
Oyy.
I thought I was going to adore this book, it sounded so different but unfortunately, for me anyway, it fell short.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley.
On one hand, I like that it wasn’t POW POW POW SO EXCITING OMG OMG LOOKING EVERYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING AND OH MY GOD IS THAT A POLAR BEAR?!
Ms Bodeen showed the monotony of being stranded on a raft. Thankfully, I have never been in a plane crash and the closest I’ve ever been to being stranded on a raft is when my brother once stole the paddles of the dinghy and pushed me into the middle of a swimming pool.
But I imagine that it is incredibly repetitive and boring. So, yes, this book was realistic.
But then on the other hand: This book was repetitive and boring. I know it’s a Catch 22 because if it had been POW POW POW etc etc, I would have probably moaned that it was unrealistic.
Hey, I never said I was being fair.
The writing seemed almost clinical and removed but I wanted more panic and peril. Robie described the plane crashing in the same tone as she did when she described watching a Battlestar Galactica marathon on TV. I mean, I’ve never seen Battlestar Galactica and I know a lot of people love it and it’s exciting, but surely a plane crash would get your blood pumping just a little bit more?
I didn’t like Robie. She was so frustrating. And I’m not saying I’d be the best person in a situation like that because I wouldn’t be. I’d be awful company, but I would like to think I wouldn’t be so stupid.
You’re in the middle of an ocean and there is a chance you might never be rescued and there are sharks circling and you’re whinging because your nose ring is hurting? Um…
All she seemed to do was moan, eat Skittles and then have a nap. Seriously.
If you exchanged Skittles for Minstrels, that’s a day in the life for me and there is a reason why no one has written a book about my life.
….yet.
Also, about 15% through I made a little note on a passage that said “HA…oh god, I bet [blank] LOLOLOL” (my review notes are most scientific), thinking that there was no way that was going to happen.
Heh heh… guess what happened?
Oyy.
I thought I was going to adore this book, it sounded so different but unfortunately, for me anyway, it fell short.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley.
March 1, 2013
WARNING. THIS MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS. BUT ONLY TO GET MY POINT ACROSS
Ok, When I say this book is bad.. It's a TRUE understatement. The whole book, plot and everything seems SO FORCED.
The reason why she's too scared to stay in Honolulu -FORCED AND NOT PRACTICAL No random homeless guy is going to pull on your hair and NO ONE is going to say anything before he's too close for comfort. PLUS Some homeless guy isn't gonna scare you to the point that you just wanna go home. Just an act of poor planning/ "I need to find a reason of why she's on this plane in the first place."
Her staying alone - NOT PRACTICAL no one in their right mind lets a 15 yr old stay at an apartment by herself for a week .
The reason why her parents don't know she's coming back home - FORCED the whole "the phones are down" excuse seems like one of those excuses you tell someone when you don't want to talk to them. It seems like it was one of those ... off the top of the head kinda of things. No thought into it at all..
Why she isn't weighed before she gets on the plane - NO ANSWER all Robie does is blame it this chick who is absent that day. There's no way that's she's just sleeping and just gets up and gets on the plane without weighing her. She KNOWS that the plane can only hold 3,800 lb with one engine. You can't blame her stupidity on her age. Any teenager in their right mind would ask to be weighed before she gets on this raggedy piece of crap.
When the plane crashed and somehow Larry didn't get out. Looks like Bodeen forgot about Larry! and since she did they just said "oh well, lets just make him die." It makes absolutely NO sense why he wouldn't have already been on the raft before Max threw Robie out.
The whole MAX being dead - PREDICTABLE I saw it coming! When she always said he was "sleeping" and how he would "stop in the middle of stories" and miraculously wake up and finish them. It became a clear giveaway when
1. He hadn't eaten ANYTHING. (at least robie had skittles)
2. When she PUSHED him off of the raft and he DIDN'T wake up.
THEN the Max being dead story gets SO CONFUSING when she starts yelling at him saying he's dead. BUT THEN later in the chapter (or maybe the next one) she says he's not there PHYSICALLY. THEN Robie lays her head on his shoulder in the next chapter. -_- REALLY!?
Max going to a Taylor Swift concert - WHAT?! Uhm, lets do some figures.. If max has gone to pilot school or whatever he has to be somewhere in his mid twenties. Im guessing maybe 25-27. Lets do some research. Her first tour started in 09. meaning he had to be from the ages of 23-25. WHAT?! it says they were in HIGH SCHOOL there's no way he could've been 23-25 in high school. Another example of poor planning/ just throwing sh*t together.
I understand that it's fiction but some of it is a HUGE stretch.
Not only is the plot forced and "wanting to slap the author" written, sometimes you just want to yell at Robie! Like,I've seen some reviews where they say "Well robie is annoying but maybe a 15-16 yr old relates to her. HECK NO! I'm 16 and I think shes probably one of the most annoying pros I've ever read! She act more like a sheltered 8 yr old.
Ok in one of the chapters she said she need a paddle so she can try to steer the raft. So she find this santa. The way Robie describes it, its pretty large. Then Robie says it's just a "good luck charm". WHAT!? You JUST said you needed a paddle and you find a make shift one and you NEVER mention the word paddle again! A good.. "slap robie in the face" moment.
Then when Robie is on the island and says she needs fire.. You find TONS of lighters on this island with the fluid in them and it takes you two days to finally realize to stop beating around the bush killing seals and watching f*cking birds and finding dead bodies and sh*t to make a fire. -_- another "Slap Robie in the face" moment.
Not only is Robie annoying as hell, Bodeen leaves these TERRIBLE Cliff hangers at the end of most of the chapters!
Like one of the chapters ends with her feeling bumps under the raft and she thinks it's a shark.
WELL WE'RE ONLY ON PAGE 125 OUT OF 231. WE KNOW A SHARK IS NOT GOING TO EAT HER.
Bottom line, compared to all of her other books (which were AMAZING) this one is full of forced, pointless plot, poor plot planning and a stupid child - like Protagonist.
Ok, When I say this book is bad.. It's a TRUE understatement. The whole book, plot and everything seems SO FORCED.
The reason why she's too scared to stay in Honolulu -FORCED AND NOT PRACTICAL No random homeless guy is going to pull on your hair and NO ONE is going to say anything before he's too close for comfort. PLUS Some homeless guy isn't gonna scare you to the point that you just wanna go home. Just an act of poor planning/ "I need to find a reason of why she's on this plane in the first place."
Her staying alone - NOT PRACTICAL no one in their right mind lets a 15 yr old stay at an apartment by herself for a week .
The reason why her parents don't know she's coming back home - FORCED the whole "the phones are down" excuse seems like one of those excuses you tell someone when you don't want to talk to them. It seems like it was one of those ... off the top of the head kinda of things. No thought into it at all..
Why she isn't weighed before she gets on the plane - NO ANSWER all Robie does is blame it this chick who is absent that day. There's no way that's she's just sleeping and just gets up and gets on the plane without weighing her. She KNOWS that the plane can only hold 3,800 lb with one engine. You can't blame her stupidity on her age. Any teenager in their right mind would ask to be weighed before she gets on this raggedy piece of crap.
When the plane crashed and somehow Larry didn't get out. Looks like Bodeen forgot about Larry! and since she did they just said "oh well, lets just make him die." It makes absolutely NO sense why he wouldn't have already been on the raft before Max threw Robie out.
The whole MAX being dead - PREDICTABLE I saw it coming! When she always said he was "sleeping" and how he would "stop in the middle of stories" and miraculously wake up and finish them. It became a clear giveaway when
1. He hadn't eaten ANYTHING. (at least robie had skittles)
2. When she PUSHED him off of the raft and he DIDN'T wake up.
THEN the Max being dead story gets SO CONFUSING when she starts yelling at him saying he's dead. BUT THEN later in the chapter (or maybe the next one) she says he's not there PHYSICALLY. THEN Robie lays her head on his shoulder in the next chapter. -_- REALLY!?
Max going to a Taylor Swift concert - WHAT?! Uhm, lets do some figures.. If max has gone to pilot school or whatever he has to be somewhere in his mid twenties. Im guessing maybe 25-27. Lets do some research. Her first tour started in 09. meaning he had to be from the ages of 23-25. WHAT?! it says they were in HIGH SCHOOL there's no way he could've been 23-25 in high school. Another example of poor planning/ just throwing sh*t together.
I understand that it's fiction but some of it is a HUGE stretch.
Not only is the plot forced and "wanting to slap the author" written, sometimes you just want to yell at Robie! Like,I've seen some reviews where they say "Well robie is annoying but maybe a 15-16 yr old relates to her. HECK NO! I'm 16 and I think shes probably one of the most annoying pros I've ever read! She act more like a sheltered 8 yr old.
Ok in one of the chapters she said she need a paddle so she can try to steer the raft. So she find this santa. The way Robie describes it, its pretty large. Then Robie says it's just a "good luck charm". WHAT!? You JUST said you needed a paddle and you find a make shift one and you NEVER mention the word paddle again! A good.. "slap robie in the face" moment.
Then when Robie is on the island and says she needs fire.. You find TONS of lighters on this island with the fluid in them and it takes you two days to finally realize to stop beating around the bush killing seals and watching f*cking birds and finding dead bodies and sh*t to make a fire. -_- another "Slap Robie in the face" moment.
Not only is Robie annoying as hell, Bodeen leaves these TERRIBLE Cliff hangers at the end of most of the chapters!
Like one of the chapters ends with her feeling bumps under the raft and she thinks it's a shark.
WELL WE'RE ONLY ON PAGE 125 OUT OF 231. WE KNOW A SHARK IS NOT GOING TO EAT HER.
Bottom line, compared to all of her other books (which were AMAZING) this one is full of forced, pointless plot, poor plot planning and a stupid child - like Protagonist.
October 13, 2022
I knew what I was getting into when I bought the book or at least I thought I did. The Raft by S. A. Bodeen is about a teen plane crash victim that must survive on a raft ala Robinson Crusoe, the Swiss Family Robinson, and a host of others. However, this novel is a particularly boring kind of bad. I expected a slow burn, because the protagonist is on a raft. Some monotony is expected. However, there was a great deal of whining along with the monotony. The protagonist fails on three counts. She is unlikeable, foolish, and uninteresting. I am taking into consideration that this is a middle grades book, but if that's the case this is even more awful. I expected some horror, not supernatural, but some survival horror like with a particular seal vignette. More of that would have made it better, IMHO. Sorry. I take no pleasure in this. At least, it is not a complete avoid, but this could have / should have been better in so many ways.
June 23, 2024
A riveting survival story that I tore through in one afternoon. It’s about what you’d expect, with a nice twist.
April 4, 2021
Never have I ever seen someone with such a lack of common sense.
November 20, 2015
I don't know what is more interesting...this book OR the fact that this is the second book in a row that I have read about survival after a plane crash. I worry it might be the latter. I'm not quite sure how this happened except to say that I have been looking for fast-paced, easy reads lately and I'm kind of known for putting books on hold with abandon!
Anyway, two survival books in a row and I found neither to be particularly memorable. I can't see myself recommending either book but they were both decent enough. This one, The Raft, is YA. I think I finished this in under two hours. Short chapters and some tension kept me involved in the story. This felt very YA, with some plot holes and a twist that was obvious to me but may have been surprising to younger readers. I wish I had more to say about it but I just don't. 3 stars?
Anyway, two survival books in a row and I found neither to be particularly memorable. I can't see myself recommending either book but they were both decent enough. This one, The Raft, is YA. I think I finished this in under two hours. Short chapters and some tension kept me involved in the story. This felt very YA, with some plot holes and a twist that was obvious to me but may have been surprising to younger readers. I wish I had more to say about it but I just don't. 3 stars?
May 28, 2016
4/5 Stars!
Summary:
Have you ever thought about what you would do it your plane went down in the middle of the ocean? Well this gives us a pretty good idea. Robie is on her way back to Midway Atoll from Honolulu and visiting her aunt. The trip is a bit unplanned but she's flown a lot so no need to worry. Right?
Dislikes:
I would have liked a bit more set up in the beginning and possibly a bit more meat to the book in general.
Likes:
The plot twist. Seriously did not see that coming at all and was shocked. It almost made me feel more fear for Robie. This was quick and something I could not put down. I read it all in one sitting.
Overall:
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I am so terrified to fly now. haha But in all seriousness, this novel is a thriller to the core. The description is spot on and helps put us in Robie's shoes. You never know what will happen around the next corner.
Summary:
Have you ever thought about what you would do it your plane went down in the middle of the ocean? Well this gives us a pretty good idea. Robie is on her way back to Midway Atoll from Honolulu and visiting her aunt. The trip is a bit unplanned but she's flown a lot so no need to worry. Right?
Dislikes:
I would have liked a bit more set up in the beginning and possibly a bit more meat to the book in general.
Likes:
The plot twist. Seriously did not see that coming at all and was shocked. It almost made me feel more fear for Robie. This was quick and something I could not put down. I read it all in one sitting.
Overall:
I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. I am so terrified to fly now. haha But in all seriousness, this novel is a thriller to the core. The description is spot on and helps put us in Robie's shoes. You never know what will happen around the next corner.
October 9, 2012
2.5 stars
{This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}
I am desperately seeking a kick-ass survival book. If I hear that a book involves lifeboats and/or being marooned on a island, I am all over it.
As a result, I had high hopes for S.A. Bodeen’s young adult survival novel, The Raft.
Unfortunately, like the other survival story I read this year, The Lifeboat, The Raft didn’t live up to my (very high) expectations. With that said, I think there’s an audience that will enjoy this lost-at-sea, Hatchet-style novel.
Robie is a 15-year old with an unusual life. Her parents are researchers and she lives on Midway Island. She frequently hops a ride on the cargo plane between Midway and Honolulu, where her aunt lives and has a measure of independence that’s unusual for someone so young. It’s on one of these trips to visit her aunt that she leaves suddenly, following a frightening encounter with a stranger on the street. Because the phone lines are down and her aunt is out of town, no one knows that Robie’s headed back to Midway.
On the flight back, the plane experiences engine trouble and crashes into the sea. The co-pilot she’s never met before, Max, tosses her a life vest and deploys the plane’s lifeboat. Suddenly she and Max are alone in in the boat, adrift at sea. They have no water. They have no food (except a single bag of Skittles). There are sharks. It’s cold, it’s miserable and their only hope is that someone finds the raft—and soon.
The Raft focuses squarely on Robie’s struggle to survive at sea. She copes with sharks (a lot of sharks), mind-numbing twist and the pains of hunger.
This half of the story moves very quickly, but it never feels all that scary. It’s an interesting thing when the plot moves quickly, but it’s not engaging. I broke my Kindle while I was reading this book and even though I’d nearly finished, it took me weeks to remember that I needed to return to it. The quick pacing without tension just didn’t work for me.
I wanted Robie to be terrified, or proactive, or completely morose. Instead, it felt like she was going through the paces of survival because she knew that she was in a YA novel. I knew that she was scared of the sharks, because I’m told that Robie’s scared of the sharks, not because I could ever feel her terror.
I did, however, appreciate the many little touches that shined a light on the environmental issues faced by the world’s oceans.
It makes sense that Robie is aware of these issues because of her parents’ work and living on Midway. For a younger audience, this exposition—which is well-integrated into the context of the story—could be very enlightening and moving. I’ve heard that parent-child book clubs are a thing these days, and because of this (and several of the decisions Robie has to make), The Raft would make an excellent book for discussion in a group like that.
I had other two big issues with The Raft.
The first was that animal death is used quite a bit to create tension and emotion, and I am just so weary of that plot device. It’s not graphic or anything (otherwise, I would have stopped reading), but this is one of my hot button issues, so it’s got to be done very, very well for me not to be bothered. Obviously, in a survival book, there’s a high likelihood of animals dying. But, it was crafted in a way that it was used to illustrate Robie’s emotions (these moments are one of the few times she really seems to experience authentic emotion).
The second is that I wished that the psychological implications of what happened would have been explored more. This is a short book, I know, but I felt like that wasn’t addressed as much as I would have liked (the book focuses very much on the physical survival aspect). The Raft had the misfortune of landing in my reading sequence shortly after Miracle, which is an equally short book that explores the aftermath of a plane crash. The subtle peeling away of the damage resulting from being a sole survivor was so well done in Elizabeth Scott’s book that even though The Raft dealt with immediate, physical survival, I wanted more in terms of the emotional side of the story.
There’s a pretty big twist about two-thirds in, which I suspected, but it made a lot of sense for the story.
I think younger readers (I’m thinking middle school age), however, will find the twist fairly shocked and thrilling. But as someone who’s read a number of this type of book, I called it early on.
And that’s a bit of the lingering frustration I had with The Raft. While it’s marketed as a teen title, it felt a bit young, more like something for the 11-13 year old crowd. The messages are pretty clear and somewhat heavy-handed and there’s not the nuance that I’m used to reading in many YA novels. However, if it were marketed to the younger crowd, I would feel very differently about The Raft. I know it’s pretty typical for tweens to “read up,” so perhaps that was the intent with this story?
Interestingly, while I love survival stories, I generally find fictional ones to be lacking the tension and compelling human drama found in excellent non-fiction accounts such as Into Thin Air.
I always find myself feeling like the stakes aren’t high enough, that everything falls into place too conveniently, when the very nature of survival is inconvenient. Furthermore, in great non-fiction accounts the survival stories and human stories are interwoven—in novels they often fall too strongly in one direction or the other. Perhaps I simply need to abandon my search for an excellent fictional version when there are so many outstanding real accounts that far exceed that which an author can imagine.
FNL Character Rating: Early Julie Taylor
Disclosure: Received for review from the publisher via NetGalley.
{This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}
I am desperately seeking a kick-ass survival book. If I hear that a book involves lifeboats and/or being marooned on a island, I am all over it.
As a result, I had high hopes for S.A. Bodeen’s young adult survival novel, The Raft.
Unfortunately, like the other survival story I read this year, The Lifeboat, The Raft didn’t live up to my (very high) expectations. With that said, I think there’s an audience that will enjoy this lost-at-sea, Hatchet-style novel.
Robie is a 15-year old with an unusual life. Her parents are researchers and she lives on Midway Island. She frequently hops a ride on the cargo plane between Midway and Honolulu, where her aunt lives and has a measure of independence that’s unusual for someone so young. It’s on one of these trips to visit her aunt that she leaves suddenly, following a frightening encounter with a stranger on the street. Because the phone lines are down and her aunt is out of town, no one knows that Robie’s headed back to Midway.
On the flight back, the plane experiences engine trouble and crashes into the sea. The co-pilot she’s never met before, Max, tosses her a life vest and deploys the plane’s lifeboat. Suddenly she and Max are alone in in the boat, adrift at sea. They have no water. They have no food (except a single bag of Skittles). There are sharks. It’s cold, it’s miserable and their only hope is that someone finds the raft—and soon.
Alone with the stinging of my scalp. Alone with the pain in my chest. Alone with the rain on my face. Alone with my freezing wet clothes, clammy dead weight against my skin. My breathing slowed. Alone with the truth…
The Raft focuses squarely on Robie’s struggle to survive at sea. She copes with sharks (a lot of sharks), mind-numbing twist and the pains of hunger.
This half of the story moves very quickly, but it never feels all that scary. It’s an interesting thing when the plot moves quickly, but it’s not engaging. I broke my Kindle while I was reading this book and even though I’d nearly finished, it took me weeks to remember that I needed to return to it. The quick pacing without tension just didn’t work for me.
I wanted Robie to be terrified, or proactive, or completely morose. Instead, it felt like she was going through the paces of survival because she knew that she was in a YA novel. I knew that she was scared of the sharks, because I’m told that Robie’s scared of the sharks, not because I could ever feel her terror.
I did, however, appreciate the many little touches that shined a light on the environmental issues faced by the world’s oceans.
“Ouch!” I’d stepped on something sharp and I looked down. An albatross chick, only a skeleton, still half feathered with silvery black down, most of the body eaten by crabs. I grabbed a stick and probed inside the ribs, what used to be the gullet, poking at a pile of red plastic. Caps from plastic bottles, fake plastic cherries, even a red toy soldier missing one arm. I shook my head. One of that season’s chicks whose parents had inadvertently killed it. When adult albatross fished on the surface of the ocean, they mainly feasted on squid eggs. But, with all the garbage in the ocean, this chick’s parents must have honed in on the color red, and ended up filling their chick’s belly with plastic. So it starved to death even though it thought its belly was full. It had been full, just full of the wrong stuff.
It makes sense that Robie is aware of these issues because of her parents’ work and living on Midway. For a younger audience, this exposition—which is well-integrated into the context of the story—could be very enlightening and moving. I’ve heard that parent-child book clubs are a thing these days, and because of this (and several of the decisions Robie has to make), The Raft would make an excellent book for discussion in a group like that.
I had other two big issues with The Raft.
The first was that animal death is used quite a bit to create tension and emotion, and I am just so weary of that plot device. It’s not graphic or anything (otherwise, I would have stopped reading), but this is one of my hot button issues, so it’s got to be done very, very well for me not to be bothered. Obviously, in a survival book, there’s a high likelihood of animals dying. But, it was crafted in a way that it was used to illustrate Robie’s emotions (these moments are one of the few times she really seems to experience authentic emotion).
The second is that I wished that the psychological implications of what happened would have been explored more. This is a short book, I know, but I felt like that wasn’t addressed as much as I would have liked (the book focuses very much on the physical survival aspect). The Raft had the misfortune of landing in my reading sequence shortly after Miracle, which is an equally short book that explores the aftermath of a plane crash. The subtle peeling away of the damage resulting from being a sole survivor was so well done in Elizabeth Scott’s book that even though The Raft dealt with immediate, physical survival, I wanted more in terms of the emotional side of the story.
There’s a pretty big twist about two-thirds in, which I suspected, but it made a lot of sense for the story.
I think younger readers (I’m thinking middle school age), however, will find the twist fairly shocked and thrilling. But as someone who’s read a number of this type of book, I called it early on.
And that’s a bit of the lingering frustration I had with The Raft. While it’s marketed as a teen title, it felt a bit young, more like something for the 11-13 year old crowd. The messages are pretty clear and somewhat heavy-handed and there’s not the nuance that I’m used to reading in many YA novels. However, if it were marketed to the younger crowd, I would feel very differently about The Raft. I know it’s pretty typical for tweens to “read up,” so perhaps that was the intent with this story?
Interestingly, while I love survival stories, I generally find fictional ones to be lacking the tension and compelling human drama found in excellent non-fiction accounts such as Into Thin Air.
I always find myself feeling like the stakes aren’t high enough, that everything falls into place too conveniently, when the very nature of survival is inconvenient. Furthermore, in great non-fiction accounts the survival stories and human stories are interwoven—in novels they often fall too strongly in one direction or the other. Perhaps I simply need to abandon my search for an excellent fictional version when there are so many outstanding real accounts that far exceed that which an author can imagine.
FNL Character Rating: Early Julie Taylor
Disclosure: Received for review from the publisher via NetGalley.
January 31, 2020
A 15-yr-old girl survives a crash when her cargo flight out to a small Pacific island goes down. There were seriously times when I hoped she didn't make it due to her sheer stupidity, but overall it was interesting YA novel. And it made me so thirsty!!
March 18, 2013
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers
Fifteen-year-old Robie has always been told that she is lucky - she's lucky that she gets to live on the Midway Atoll with her National Geographic photographer and scientist parents, lucky she does not have to go to regular school or do regular homework, lucky that she gets the experience of growing up in a beautiful, idyllic secluded tropical island locale. But Robie hasn't really felt lucky - she sees life on Midway as a great experience, but she's over a thousand miles away from the closest stretch of civilization, she has barely any interaction with other kids her age, and the tiny atoll has just 4 TV channels, as well as a notoriously spotty phone and internet connection. So, when Robie gets the chance to spend the summer with her cool young Aunt AJ in Honolulu, she's thrilled to spend time lounging by the pool, catching up on all the tv shows she's missed, and getting her nose pierced without her parents around. When her aunt has to leave town for a week, Robie even manages to convince her to stay unattended in AJ's condo. But Robie finds that being on her own isn't all its cracked up to be, and after a frightening encounter with a vagrant she makes the decision to head home to Midway on the first plane out - the weekly supply run.
Thanks to another phone outage, Robie can't reach her parents to let them know she's heading home, and she decides not to call and freak out her aunt. She's made the flight to Midway from Honolulu countless times before, after all, so it's no big deal.
But then a surprise storm hits mid-flight, and everything goes wrong. The engine dies. The plane plummets. And even though she manages to miraculously survive the crash and get in an emergency life raft, she's alone in the middle of the ocean with the gravely injured co-pilot, with no food and no water. And no one even knows she's gone.
The Raft is a harrowing, tautly written novel that takes great pains to detail the realistic psychological and physical trauma that a fifteen year old girl might endure in a mid-Pacific plane crash. I'm both attracted to and repelled by these types of stories - shows like I Shouldn't Be Alive, films like 127 Hours, or books like Into Thin Air. They frighten me, but I cannot resist these heart-rending tales, the chance decisions and confluences of events that make the difference between life and death. In The Raft, S.A. Bodeen takes an ordinary teenage girl, places her in an extraordinary situation, and details her excruciating tale - its triumphs and missteps, and the lengths to which Robie will go to keep herself sane and alive. And for all of this, Bodeen's novel does a phenomenal job. Be clear - this is no incisive tome about civilization, or environmentalism, or even human nature. It is an utterly unprepared young girl's tale of survival. And I'm good with that.
Because this is such an insular story, The Raft relies on two things: the (somewhat sadistic) plot, and the strength of heroine Robie's narrative. From a character perspective, Robie is realistically portrayed as a fifteen year old girl that is more concerned with her freedom and wants than she is with others. She's no survival expert (though she knows a bit more about biology than the average person thanks to her unique upbringing), and she makes so many mistakes with only her instincts, memories, and imagination to guide her survival. I love this hefty dose of realism, and that Robie is so fallible - she feels like a real person, flaws and all. She's resourceful (but not unbelievably so), and her coping mechanism - you'll get to it, I won't spoil you - is hauntingly effective.
From a plotting perspective, The Raft also is a competent, well-executed feat. There are moments of terror and action - the plane crash in particular is scary stuff - but there are also many other moments of quiet, excruciatingly slow dread. This balance, between action and inaction, feels very realistic, very true, and I found myself thoroughly appreciating Bodeen's keen eye for pacing and storytelling.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Raft and absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for this type of survival story - heck, I liked it so much that I immediately picked up S.A. Bodeen's first novel upon finishing this book.
Fifteen-year-old Robie has always been told that she is lucky - she's lucky that she gets to live on the Midway Atoll with her National Geographic photographer and scientist parents, lucky she does not have to go to regular school or do regular homework, lucky that she gets the experience of growing up in a beautiful, idyllic secluded tropical island locale. But Robie hasn't really felt lucky - she sees life on Midway as a great experience, but she's over a thousand miles away from the closest stretch of civilization, she has barely any interaction with other kids her age, and the tiny atoll has just 4 TV channels, as well as a notoriously spotty phone and internet connection. So, when Robie gets the chance to spend the summer with her cool young Aunt AJ in Honolulu, she's thrilled to spend time lounging by the pool, catching up on all the tv shows she's missed, and getting her nose pierced without her parents around. When her aunt has to leave town for a week, Robie even manages to convince her to stay unattended in AJ's condo. But Robie finds that being on her own isn't all its cracked up to be, and after a frightening encounter with a vagrant she makes the decision to head home to Midway on the first plane out - the weekly supply run.
Thanks to another phone outage, Robie can't reach her parents to let them know she's heading home, and she decides not to call and freak out her aunt. She's made the flight to Midway from Honolulu countless times before, after all, so it's no big deal.
But then a surprise storm hits mid-flight, and everything goes wrong. The engine dies. The plane plummets. And even though she manages to miraculously survive the crash and get in an emergency life raft, she's alone in the middle of the ocean with the gravely injured co-pilot, with no food and no water. And no one even knows she's gone.
The Raft is a harrowing, tautly written novel that takes great pains to detail the realistic psychological and physical trauma that a fifteen year old girl might endure in a mid-Pacific plane crash. I'm both attracted to and repelled by these types of stories - shows like I Shouldn't Be Alive, films like 127 Hours, or books like Into Thin Air. They frighten me, but I cannot resist these heart-rending tales, the chance decisions and confluences of events that make the difference between life and death. In The Raft, S.A. Bodeen takes an ordinary teenage girl, places her in an extraordinary situation, and details her excruciating tale - its triumphs and missteps, and the lengths to which Robie will go to keep herself sane and alive. And for all of this, Bodeen's novel does a phenomenal job. Be clear - this is no incisive tome about civilization, or environmentalism, or even human nature. It is an utterly unprepared young girl's tale of survival. And I'm good with that.
Because this is such an insular story, The Raft relies on two things: the (somewhat sadistic) plot, and the strength of heroine Robie's narrative. From a character perspective, Robie is realistically portrayed as a fifteen year old girl that is more concerned with her freedom and wants than she is with others. She's no survival expert (though she knows a bit more about biology than the average person thanks to her unique upbringing), and she makes so many mistakes with only her instincts, memories, and imagination to guide her survival. I love this hefty dose of realism, and that Robie is so fallible - she feels like a real person, flaws and all. She's resourceful (but not unbelievably so), and her coping mechanism - you'll get to it, I won't spoil you - is hauntingly effective.
From a plotting perspective, The Raft also is a competent, well-executed feat. There are moments of terror and action - the plane crash in particular is scary stuff - but there are also many other moments of quiet, excruciatingly slow dread. This balance, between action and inaction, feels very realistic, very true, and I found myself thoroughly appreciating Bodeen's keen eye for pacing and storytelling.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Raft and absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for this type of survival story - heck, I liked it so much that I immediately picked up S.A. Bodeen's first novel upon finishing this book.
July 21, 2012
Right away I related to Robie in this story. I too remember being home alone with my over active imagination, completely freaking myself out at night. It is no wonder she left the island early to go home instead of spending another scary night all by herself, I would have done the same thing.
Of course I would hope that I would have at least told someone where I was going, a note maybe? Something?
And then the worst happens. Something that everyone fears and thinks about as they board a plane to take off, her plane went down. The engines have failed. The inevitable happens. They crash into the water.
And her whole world has changed.
I am going to admit, I started to wonder with the events going on leading to Robie's time in the raft if she wasn't a bit selfish. I know she is only 15 but sometimes her concern for Max's safety and helping him (who is injured) just seemed....off to me.
I couldn't quite figured out what was always going on with them in the story. There were many clues that for whatever reason I just did not pick up.
Maybe I was too tired while reading this one and the clues were just lost on me, or maybe it was intended to be that way so when all was reveled it left you reeling and shocked (which is successfully did as well for me).
Either way, this book was skillfully done and truly was a very interesting read.
It is hard to write anything as I don't want to give away the events of the story but this one is truly a tale of survival and doing what has to be done to live even when it goes against everything you ever thought you would do.
This was a great debut novel and I think we can expect some great things from this author in the future.
3.5 Stars!
Of course I would hope that I would have at least told someone where I was going, a note maybe? Something?
And then the worst happens. Something that everyone fears and thinks about as they board a plane to take off, her plane went down. The engines have failed. The inevitable happens. They crash into the water.
And her whole world has changed.
I am going to admit, I started to wonder with the events going on leading to Robie's time in the raft if she wasn't a bit selfish. I know she is only 15 but sometimes her concern for Max's safety and helping him (who is injured) just seemed....off to me.
I couldn't quite figured out what was always going on with them in the story. There were many clues that for whatever reason I just did not pick up.
Maybe I was too tired while reading this one and the clues were just lost on me, or maybe it was intended to be that way so when all was reveled it left you reeling and shocked (which is successfully did as well for me).
Either way, this book was skillfully done and truly was a very interesting read.
It is hard to write anything as I don't want to give away the events of the story but this one is truly a tale of survival and doing what has to be done to live even when it goes against everything you ever thought you would do.
This was a great debut novel and I think we can expect some great things from this author in the future.
3.5 Stars!
April 23, 2020
!Warning!- This review might contain spoilers!
Robie Mitchell lives with her mom and dad at Midway Atoll. She often visits her aunt in Honolulu, Hawaii. So this on time was like any other. She Spent time with her aunt in the pool. She even got her nose pierced even though her parents wouldn't like it. Her aunt gets a call saying that she has to fly into LA for work. Robie convinces her that she will be fine all alone in Hawaii. But when an unfortunate incident occurs Robie changes her mind and decides that she wants to go home.
While she is boarding her plane she notices that no one but her, Larry the pilot and Max the co- pilot know she boarded the plane. She doesn't think much of it. There is a bit of turbulece on the ride.Eventually she realizes that The engine is slowly going down! She starts to panic when Max tells her to jump out with a life jacket. Below she see a yellow raft. But she falls into the water. Drowning. But all of the sudden she feels someone pulling her upward. It's Max! Now she is trapped at see with a man she barely knows and a bag of skittles! How will they survive?
I really really enjoyed this book! I really enjoy survival books. This book made me emotional at the end. But overall this book is a very compelling! I think the author did a great job with the characters! The plot was very interesting and has be sitting at the edge of my seat. I am disappointed at how long this book took me! I would definitely recommend this book!
Robie Mitchell lives with her mom and dad at Midway Atoll. She often visits her aunt in Honolulu, Hawaii. So this on time was like any other. She Spent time with her aunt in the pool. She even got her nose pierced even though her parents wouldn't like it. Her aunt gets a call saying that she has to fly into LA for work. Robie convinces her that she will be fine all alone in Hawaii. But when an unfortunate incident occurs Robie changes her mind and decides that she wants to go home.
While she is boarding her plane she notices that no one but her, Larry the pilot and Max the co- pilot know she boarded the plane. She doesn't think much of it. There is a bit of turbulece on the ride.Eventually she realizes that The engine is slowly going down! She starts to panic when Max tells her to jump out with a life jacket. Below she see a yellow raft. But she falls into the water. Drowning. But all of the sudden she feels someone pulling her upward. It's Max! Now she is trapped at see with a man she barely knows and a bag of skittles! How will they survive?
I really really enjoyed this book! I really enjoy survival books. This book made me emotional at the end. But overall this book is a very compelling! I think the author did a great job with the characters! The plot was very interesting and has be sitting at the edge of my seat. I am disappointed at how long this book took me! I would definitely recommend this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2012
Ugh. Someone's been watching far too many Tom Hanks movies. And I don't just mean me.
I'll try to review this soon, but how do you even review the dullest book ever?
I'll try to review this soon, but how do you even review the dullest book ever?
March 28, 2012
This was a fast moving book. It was full of tension and twists. I got through it in a few hours not only because it had a great pace, but because I was fixated on the story, needing to know how it ended.
Fifteen-year-old Robie lives with her parents on a small island in Hawaii. There's dodgy internet, only three channels on the TV, and nothing for a girl to do. Her only saving grace is her cool, single aunt who lives on the main land, and Robie can go and stay there whenever. But when a lack of communication leads to Robie boarding a plane back home without anyone knowing, the worst happens. The plane crashes into the sea and Robie is left to survive with nothing but a raft.
It was actually really interesting to read about survival tactics. What kinds of fish you can eat, how to get water when there's no water around. Robie was very resourceful. A real special kind of girl. There were times she could have just given up and let death take her, but she fought and fought. Very inspiring.
There was a twist I didn't see coming too, which I won't spoil, and actually, it explained away what was then my biggest complaint of the story. It all suddenly made sense then! I do wish the sharks would have been a bigger threat, though. Like they were circling the raft rather than what they were actually doing. Sometimes, Robie's explanations of some of nature (like the birds) was a little much to get through and I found it taking away from the tension. Some of it was helpful to know, but mostly, it was a little distracting.
I did really enjoy this book though. I thought it was done really realistically and I learned a few things about survival too! 4 stars.
Fifteen-year-old Robie lives with her parents on a small island in Hawaii. There's dodgy internet, only three channels on the TV, and nothing for a girl to do. Her only saving grace is her cool, single aunt who lives on the main land, and Robie can go and stay there whenever. But when a lack of communication leads to Robie boarding a plane back home without anyone knowing, the worst happens. The plane crashes into the sea and Robie is left to survive with nothing but a raft.
It was actually really interesting to read about survival tactics. What kinds of fish you can eat, how to get water when there's no water around. Robie was very resourceful. A real special kind of girl. There were times she could have just given up and let death take her, but she fought and fought. Very inspiring.
There was a twist I didn't see coming too, which I won't spoil, and actually, it explained away what was then my biggest complaint of the story. It all suddenly made sense then! I do wish the sharks would have been a bigger threat, though. Like they were circling the raft rather than what they were actually doing. Sometimes, Robie's explanations of some of nature (like the birds) was a little much to get through and I found it taking away from the tension. Some of it was helpful to know, but mostly, it was a little distracting.
I did really enjoy this book though. I thought it was done really realistically and I learned a few things about survival too! 4 stars.
August 17, 2016
Bullet Review:
This actually wasn't half-bad. Sure I think it was better done in "Life of Pi", but I finished it on a 4-hour flight so hey, that's awesome!
Full Review:
Robie is staying with her Aunt "AJ" when AJ needs to leave for a "consulting" gig (what she consults, I never really knew). She was going to stay by herself, but a near miss with Random Dude in Honolulu scares her off and she heads home to the Midway Islands where her parents, research scientists, are staying. But she slips on the plane without anyone knowing (???), and then the plane comes crashing down. Now she must stay alive on a raft in the middle of the Pacific and hope that someone comes to find her - even though no one knows where she is.
This is basically a little bit of "Life of Pi" with a dash of "Gravity" thrown in. So basically, been-there, done-that, got the t-shirt - but at least it was interesting and defied some of the stereotypes I was sure that Bodeen would use.
Robie wasn't the most "likeable" of characters - certainly not like Pi Patel or Sandra Bullock's character in Gravity. (BTW, yeah, I get that "Gravity" had a lot of coincidences and goofiness, but I FREAKIN' LOVED IT SO STFU!!) However, I was impressed that she really took her survival in her own hands and DID something. She survived based on her wits and her knowledge of marine life, and that really made me respect her. She had her screamy, out of control moments, which were a bit annoying, but they didn't define her, they didn't hold her back and make her useless.
There is a "twist" of sorts in the book, which I pretty much guessed, but I still respected it. It would have been very easy to make this a "romance", but Bodeen didn't go there.
Also, throughout the book, Robie makes some tough choices. She is trying to survive, and some of her decisions are based on her need to stay alive and eat. This isn't the Hollywood, "Everyone is OK in the end" type of decision either, and I definitely respected Bodeen for "going there".
This wasn't the most earth-shattering, unique survival book out there, but it was smart enough, entertaining enough for me to finish in a 4 hour flight (less because I slept through part of the flight and finished WELL before we landed). I think older teens could appreciate it, and it sure gives you more to think about and ponder afterwards than far too many young adult (and adult!) novels.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
This actually wasn't half-bad. Sure I think it was better done in "Life of Pi", but I finished it on a 4-hour flight so hey, that's awesome!
Full Review:
Robie is staying with her Aunt "AJ" when AJ needs to leave for a "consulting" gig (what she consults, I never really knew). She was going to stay by herself, but a near miss with Random Dude in Honolulu scares her off and she heads home to the Midway Islands where her parents, research scientists, are staying. But she slips on the plane without anyone knowing (???), and then the plane comes crashing down. Now she must stay alive on a raft in the middle of the Pacific and hope that someone comes to find her - even though no one knows where she is.
This is basically a little bit of "Life of Pi" with a dash of "Gravity" thrown in. So basically, been-there, done-that, got the t-shirt - but at least it was interesting and defied some of the stereotypes I was sure that Bodeen would use.
Robie wasn't the most "likeable" of characters - certainly not like Pi Patel or Sandra Bullock's character in Gravity. (BTW, yeah, I get that "Gravity" had a lot of coincidences and goofiness, but I FREAKIN' LOVED IT SO STFU!!) However, I was impressed that she really took her survival in her own hands and DID something. She survived based on her wits and her knowledge of marine life, and that really made me respect her. She had her screamy, out of control moments, which were a bit annoying, but they didn't define her, they didn't hold her back and make her useless.
There is a "twist" of sorts in the book, which I pretty much guessed, but I still respected it. It would have been very easy to make this a "romance", but Bodeen didn't go there.
Also, throughout the book, Robie makes some tough choices. She is trying to survive, and some of her decisions are based on her need to stay alive and eat. This isn't the Hollywood, "Everyone is OK in the end" type of decision either, and I definitely respected Bodeen for "going there".
This wasn't the most earth-shattering, unique survival book out there, but it was smart enough, entertaining enough for me to finish in a 4 hour flight (less because I slept through part of the flight and finished WELL before we landed). I think older teens could appreciate it, and it sure gives you more to think about and ponder afterwards than far too many young adult (and adult!) novels.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
August 1, 2012
An amazing book from start to finish, I loved it. So many emotions of fear, uncertainty, guilt, etc flowing through the reader.
What I enjoyed most about this book is the great plot line of being out on sea, ALL ALONE. No food, no water, no cell phone, no ONE! And the worst part, the thought that you could possibly die a slow death if no one finds you. I admit that, that thought right there makes me shiver. I think I'd go crazy or worse kill myself so that I don't have to do it slowly. How Robie manged to endure all this terror is beyond me.
There's no love interest but there is a great friendship. Being out there with one other person to share the stress that you are going through is helpful. Max is great at keeping Robie calm as well as sane. There are times where she wants to break down, then Max comes in, bringing her back to the surface.
There is an awesome twist in the end. It made me smile. I had no seen that last bit coming and have to admit that the author did a great job, investing in the reader in the character.
The Raft is an brutal, emotional story that steals the reader away. Skillfully blended emotions, allow the reader to fully put themselves in Robie's shoes. An enjoyable moving story, The Raft is highly recommended!
What I enjoyed most about this book is the great plot line of being out on sea, ALL ALONE. No food, no water, no cell phone, no ONE! And the worst part, the thought that you could possibly die a slow death if no one finds you. I admit that, that thought right there makes me shiver. I think I'd go crazy or worse kill myself so that I don't have to do it slowly. How Robie manged to endure all this terror is beyond me.
There's no love interest but there is a great friendship. Being out there with one other person to share the stress that you are going through is helpful. Max is great at keeping Robie calm as well as sane. There are times where she wants to break down, then Max comes in, bringing her back to the surface.
There is an awesome twist in the end. It made me smile. I had no seen that last bit coming and have to admit that the author did a great job, investing in the reader in the character.
The Raft is an brutal, emotional story that steals the reader away. Skillfully blended emotions, allow the reader to fully put themselves in Robie's shoes. An enjoyable moving story, The Raft is highly recommended!
November 11, 2012
I've been feeling in the mood for a survival novel for a long time, so when I spotted The Raft in the bookstore, I was ecstatic. It promised everything I wanted in a book right then: sharks, a plane crash, and a raft. Even though I finished this book yesterday, I really can't remember much about it, which only happens when a book just doesn't do it for me or when I'm incredibly tired. Since I'd just come back rested from my holidays, I gather it was the former. For me The Raft was a lightning-quick read that was gripping, tense, and exciting, but not by any means memorable.
Our two main characters in the book are Max and Robie. Robie, a fifteen-year-old who's spent her whole life living on an isolated island in Hawaii with her two parents, was frustrating. Sure, at times she was likable and easy to understand and get along with, but most of the time she was whiny and weak. Most of her sentences began with 'I can't', 'I don't', or 'I'm not'. Sometimes I just felt like slapping her! Bodeen, if you're going to write us a survival story, at least include a strong MC who we can, and want to, root for? Max wasn't really present in the book (you'll see why later on) and he spent most of his time sleeping, except for the times when he would just randomly start talking about himself...
The writing style was way too repetitive in my opinion, and centered mainly around Robie's feelings and actions. At one point I felt like the author would start saying 'Watch Robie eat! Watch Robie sleep! Uh-oh, the big bad shark is coming for Robie, what will she do?!' But even that would have been more entertaining than having to painstakingly read about Robie counting skittles, and then sorting them into their respective colors (btw guys, Robie doesn't like the brown ones!) Useful, right? No.
Survival stories (true and made up ones) affect me like nothing else, they're so fascinating and really tug at my heart strings - how can anyone endure that much pain, torture, whatever, and get through it? But of course, they have to be well-written, and The Raft just wasn't. The twist in the end, though, I have to admit, was really well done. I didn't see it coming at all! And then everything made sense. Not the irritating writing structure or annoying MC, but just, you know, some other parts of the book. While I know I've been raving about just how much this book wasn't for me and how frustrating it was, I finished it in a mere two hours, because if nothing else, it is gripping, exciting, nerve-wracking, and I suppose not a complete waste of time.
Our two main characters in the book are Max and Robie. Robie, a fifteen-year-old who's spent her whole life living on an isolated island in Hawaii with her two parents, was frustrating. Sure, at times she was likable and easy to understand and get along with, but most of the time she was whiny and weak. Most of her sentences began with 'I can't', 'I don't', or 'I'm not'. Sometimes I just felt like slapping her! Bodeen, if you're going to write us a survival story, at least include a strong MC who we can, and want to, root for? Max wasn't really present in the book (you'll see why later on) and he spent most of his time sleeping, except for the times when he would just randomly start talking about himself...
The writing style was way too repetitive in my opinion, and centered mainly around Robie's feelings and actions. At one point I felt like the author would start saying 'Watch Robie eat! Watch Robie sleep! Uh-oh, the big bad shark is coming for Robie, what will she do?!' But even that would have been more entertaining than having to painstakingly read about Robie counting skittles, and then sorting them into their respective colors (btw guys, Robie doesn't like the brown ones!) Useful, right? No.
Survival stories (true and made up ones) affect me like nothing else, they're so fascinating and really tug at my heart strings - how can anyone endure that much pain, torture, whatever, and get through it? But of course, they have to be well-written, and The Raft just wasn't. The twist in the end, though, I have to admit, was really well done. I didn't see it coming at all! And then everything made sense. Not the irritating writing structure or annoying MC, but just, you know, some other parts of the book. While I know I've been raving about just how much this book wasn't for me and how frustrating it was, I finished it in a mere two hours, because if nothing else, it is gripping, exciting, nerve-wracking, and I suppose not a complete waste of time.
July 29, 2013
I believe the YA readers are a sensitive and volatile bunch of readers and of an age when they are vulnerable to influences - good and bad. Books exert an enormous power over the YA reader and a strong character resonates more with a teen than with any other reader. I champion books that subtly teach with characters, themes and settings that come alive.
I am not sure what this book was teaching. The meh character, Robie, is an ordinary kid (replete with wanna-be tattoos and forbidden piercings achieved at the behest of a doting and "cool" aunt) whose only interesting quality is that she lives on the island of Midway (yep, the WWII-famed Midway) which is now a nature reserve. I assumed, incorrectly, that since she studied in nature's classroom rather than in a traditional classroom, she would use her unconventional education to survive being stranded on a raft which later deposited her on a deserted island. This is not the case. She used zero survival tactics to stall her demise. In fact, the fire she made on the island wasn't even resourceful and neither did it signal her rescuers.
She just got lucky. Every time.
I feel like an enormous potential to create a cunning, teenage heroine was wasted.
I am not sure what this book was teaching. The meh character, Robie, is an ordinary kid (replete with wanna-be tattoos and forbidden piercings achieved at the behest of a doting and "cool" aunt) whose only interesting quality is that she lives on the island of Midway (yep, the WWII-famed Midway) which is now a nature reserve. I assumed, incorrectly, that since she studied in nature's classroom rather than in a traditional classroom, she would use her unconventional education to survive being stranded on a raft which later deposited her on a deserted island. This is not the case. She used zero survival tactics to stall her demise. In fact, the fire she made on the island wasn't even resourceful and neither did it signal her rescuers.
She just got lucky. Every time.
I feel like an enormous potential to create a cunning, teenage heroine was wasted.
June 29, 2021
4.5 STARS | One of the most heart-wrenching, survival novel I’ve ever read! THE RAFT is a powerful, action-packed book you need to read! Robie lives in Midway Atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. After visiting her aunt on Hawaii, she is left to return home alone. Catching a cargo flight at the last minute, all systems are go until the plane hit nasty weather. Suddenly the plane goes down and Robie is in the water. Fighting for her life, Max, the only other survivor pulls her onto a raft. Then all the terror begins, as she struggles to survive and when help will arrive! Beautifully written, with quick short chapters, this novel is perfect for all ages! Loved it!
June 1, 2016
It was really good! I'm very impressed! It's just AWFUL what Robie went through. I know she's a fictional character, but I really admire her with everything she went through after that plane crash.
April 29, 2015
The Raft Review
Imagine being by yourself as a child, no one to play with or talk to except the animals on the beach and in the trees. Living on Midway island, Robie a 15 year old girl grew up that way. No one except her parent and a bunch of crazy, old scientists to talk to. In my mind not the people I would want to have a conversation with. Robie enjoys living on Midway though. There is lots of things she learns, being that her parents are biologists. Robie loves going to the beach on the island the only thing is that she hates going into the water.
Robie goes to visit her aunt that lives in Honolulu. Robie has the best times with her aunt. She feels like shes one of the few people she talks to when she’s not on Midway. Her Aunt is one of Robie’s best friends. She goes to visit her every year and they do things that Robie’s parents would never allow, Robie gets a small tattoo and a nose piercing. When Robie’s aunt leaves to go to the mainland, Robbie is given the privilege to stay by herself until her aunt gets back. On her first night she finds herself hungry but on her way back from McD’s a man grabs her. She sprints home, locks the door and doesn’t sleep a wink that night. Robie decides to take the next flight back to Midway.
Robie meets a friend that she knows from riding the cargo plane before. He says they have enough room on the plane for her so she hops on board. The flight was delayed but that didn’t bother Robie. When they got in the air it was loud unlike a transportation plane but it was ok. Around 2 hours into the flight there started to be turbulence then all of a sudden there was a drop. Robie looked outside and one of the engines stopped. A few minutes later Max the co-pilot came in handed Robie a life jacket. Robie knew what was going to happen, but she refused to believe it. Max grabbed her and threw her out of the plane. If I were Robbie I would have peed my pants. When she hit the water she kept sinking and sinking. Something clicked in her head and she started swimming up. Robie was determined to live. She got to the top but something was in the way. All of a sudden something grabbed her hair and pulled her onto the raft. She was in shock. Robbie and Max were the only ones on the raft. Robie and Max had to make it to land. Robie and Max had to survive on the raft. When I read this I was in the same shock as Robie was. The questions Robie was asking in her head, I think I was asking the same thing.
Robbie and Max go on a journey in a small raft with nothing to eat except a bag of Skittles and a leaking raft, and boy did those skittles look tasty to Robie. S.A Bodeen did a great job making the reader(s) feel the pain of what robbie has to go through. This author used real life facts by researching which is always in my opinion good for an author to do. I give this book ‘The Raft’ a ⅘ because of the author effort in this outstanding novel. Robie the main character will always stick in my head because of her hard effort and not giving up.
Imagine being by yourself as a child, no one to play with or talk to except the animals on the beach and in the trees. Living on Midway island, Robie a 15 year old girl grew up that way. No one except her parent and a bunch of crazy, old scientists to talk to. In my mind not the people I would want to have a conversation with. Robie enjoys living on Midway though. There is lots of things she learns, being that her parents are biologists. Robie loves going to the beach on the island the only thing is that she hates going into the water.
Robie goes to visit her aunt that lives in Honolulu. Robie has the best times with her aunt. She feels like shes one of the few people she talks to when she’s not on Midway. Her Aunt is one of Robie’s best friends. She goes to visit her every year and they do things that Robie’s parents would never allow, Robie gets a small tattoo and a nose piercing. When Robie’s aunt leaves to go to the mainland, Robbie is given the privilege to stay by herself until her aunt gets back. On her first night she finds herself hungry but on her way back from McD’s a man grabs her. She sprints home, locks the door and doesn’t sleep a wink that night. Robie decides to take the next flight back to Midway.
Robie meets a friend that she knows from riding the cargo plane before. He says they have enough room on the plane for her so she hops on board. The flight was delayed but that didn’t bother Robie. When they got in the air it was loud unlike a transportation plane but it was ok. Around 2 hours into the flight there started to be turbulence then all of a sudden there was a drop. Robie looked outside and one of the engines stopped. A few minutes later Max the co-pilot came in handed Robie a life jacket. Robie knew what was going to happen, but she refused to believe it. Max grabbed her and threw her out of the plane. If I were Robbie I would have peed my pants. When she hit the water she kept sinking and sinking. Something clicked in her head and she started swimming up. Robie was determined to live. She got to the top but something was in the way. All of a sudden something grabbed her hair and pulled her onto the raft. She was in shock. Robbie and Max were the only ones on the raft. Robie and Max had to make it to land. Robie and Max had to survive on the raft. When I read this I was in the same shock as Robie was. The questions Robie was asking in her head, I think I was asking the same thing.
Robbie and Max go on a journey in a small raft with nothing to eat except a bag of Skittles and a leaking raft, and boy did those skittles look tasty to Robie. S.A Bodeen did a great job making the reader(s) feel the pain of what robbie has to go through. This author used real life facts by researching which is always in my opinion good for an author to do. I give this book ‘The Raft’ a ⅘ because of the author effort in this outstanding novel. Robie the main character will always stick in my head because of her hard effort and not giving up.
May 29, 2018
I thought this would be a fun, little read and likely go pretty fast. It did go really fast but it wasn't anything great. The main character seemed to be somewhat educated in several things to do with the island and such, but constantly made terrible decisions. This might be forgiven in a cheesy horror film but in a survival book where we are supposed to take the situation somewhat serious - it just made my eyes roll often. There seemed to be a lot of animal death and a couple scenes with seals were just a little too much for me and didn't really have a purpose - other than being really upsetting. Things seemed to get caught in nets and such often, so I'm guessing there is supposed to be an environmental message there but I don't think it was smart enough to come across that well.
Overall, I honestly don't think this book is worth a read. It's frustrating and fairly boring. It might only be a couple hundred pages but I wanted it to be over at about the half way point. This is my second book by this author and both haven't been anything special. I'd skip this book, not a fun read.
Overall, I honestly don't think this book is worth a read. It's frustrating and fairly boring. It might only be a couple hundred pages but I wanted it to be over at about the half way point. This is my second book by this author and both haven't been anything special. I'd skip this book, not a fun read.
March 19, 2020
this book was amazing way better than i expected wow... that plot twist and that ending definitely one of my favorite books
The survival aspect in this book was outstanding it was high stakes and it was amazing i was rooting for Robie the whole time and i really liked her character she was smart and resourceful this book is perfect for those who love survival stories i was never bored i was completely enthralled the whole time the plot twist took this from a 4 stars to a 5 stars that plot twist shocked me and i love how it all came together the ending left some questions but i liked that this book was the perfect survival story and it was quick and fast paced i loved following Robie and see how she changed throughout the book i would recommend this to anyone it was amazing and now one of my favorite books
Edit:
This book was not as amazing as I remembered it. The main character was pretty stupid and childish and the book kind of dragged on and the twist was predictable. It's crazy how our tastes evolve over the years.
The survival aspect in this book was outstanding it was high stakes and it was amazing i was rooting for Robie the whole time and i really liked her character she was smart and resourceful this book is perfect for those who love survival stories i was never bored i was completely enthralled the whole time the plot twist took this from a 4 stars to a 5 stars that plot twist shocked me and i love how it all came together the ending left some questions but i liked that this book was the perfect survival story and it was quick and fast paced i loved following Robie and see how she changed throughout the book i would recommend this to anyone it was amazing and now one of my favorite books
Edit:
This book was not as amazing as I remembered it. The main character was pretty stupid and childish and the book kind of dragged on and the twist was predictable. It's crazy how our tastes evolve over the years.
April 19, 2012
♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah
- - -
4.5 stars
That Raft is the story of 15-year-old Robie. She lives with her parents on Midway Atoll in the Hawaiian Islands. An island where the phones & internet can go down for days at a time, there are only 3 channels on cable, everyone knows everyone... and Robie is the only teenager on the entire little island. So, Robie visits her aunt in Honolulu as much as she can. The Raft opens up to one of these visits.
Robie is disappointed when her aunt gets called away for business and she has to cut her visit short. The phones are down at Midway, so Robie boards a service flight (a flight that takes supplies and food items to the island - so it's just the pilot, co-pilot, and Robie on the plane) without letting anyone know. When that plane goes down into the Pacific, Robie and the co-pilot, Max, are the only ones to make it out alive. The pilot sinks right along with the plane. With Max's help, Robie makes it into the yellow life raft he inflated as the plane was going down. The two of them are left with no water, no food but a single bag of Skittles, and nothing but the vast ocean in sight.
Robie asks herself “What's worse than this?” - and soon finds out.
- - -
Let me first list my one complaint about this book. Robie would yammer on and on about these friggin' seabirds! I mean, pages and pages of explanations on their mating habits, egg laying, eggs hatching, birds learning to fly, getting eaten up by sharks, making nests, yadda yadda yadda! I mean, it just went on and on and on. I wanted to skip ahead because it was just too much. It didn't really have a point either.
Okie dokie, Robie was a character that had to grow on me. At first she seemed so frivolous and shallow that I thought I would dislike her, but after the plane went down and she began having to fight for her life, she changed. She grew up a whole lot during the course of the novel. In the end, she may have seemed weak to some, but you could pretty much assume that's because she was delirious. She went days without food and water. She was in the sun for hours on end. She had to witness some pretty terrible things. She was pretty much off her gourd by that time, you know? I have to say, I think she did damn well for a 15-year-old girl. I liked her a lot.
I love love love reading stories about survival. They are some of my most favorites. There were some pretty gross things in this book, but it's the truth of it. You can kiss your inhibitions goodbye when you end up in a situation such as the one in this novel. The protag was very resourceful. She used tactics I would never have even considered. I think the author did a great job of throwing obstacles at the protag and I think she did an equally good job of solving them. Did Robie make some mistakes? Of course! It just made the book all the more realistic to me. Unless you're a survival pro then I don't really see how anyone could be in such a situation and not do things incorrectly. Trial and error.
There was a completely unexpected twist to this book. Total goosebumpy moment when the secret was revealed! I mean, I can't spoil it for you, but it's good. There were little signs here and there but it was so easy to overlook them. Once the revelation is made, all those little details came to the forefront of my mind. It was just like “Oh my gosh! Everything makes perfect sense now!” Anyway, it was just very very surprising and I think it added so much to the story. It changed everything!
Basically, this book is great. I enjoyed it immensely. I read it in just a few hours and I was a very happy gal. It was emotional, edge-of-your-seat, and interesting. It's a dramatic tale of survival and learning to make it on your own when you have no other choice. Robie was a wonderful protagonist and the entire book felt completely realistic to me. S.A. Bodeen is a wonderful writer; descriptive and beautiful. I loved this book from the very first page to the very last. I can even say I learned a thing or two from it! That Raft is a new addition to my favorites list. :)
- - -
Book source: NetGalley
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
February 16, 2013
I gave this book 5 stars.
Plot Summery-
What could be worse? Robie, a teenage girl from islands near Hawaii, always asked herself ths question when somehig bad was about to happen so she knew what was going to happen wasn't that bad, but after living through a plane crash in salty shark infested water she now knows what can be worse, because she undured the worst. The plane is about to go down as Max, the plane's co-pilot, pushes Robie out into the waters below and then jumps in himself. She is underwater for quite some time until Max pulls her up into a yellow raft that she is force to live in for several days. She relies on her former knowledge to help her 12 days of a struggle against sharks, weather, starvation, dehydration, extreme heat and sunburns, an infection, and she has to do all this while attempting to remain sane and save herself. In the end she descovers something about a person she barely knows and she finds she wasn't alone on her journey.
Main Characters-
Max- Co-Pilot, hero, rescuer, guilty, considerate, kind
Robie- animal lover, thoughtful, kind, nice, considerate, hopeful, faithful, smart, intelligent, greatful, lucky, scared, and resorceful
Key Issues-
survival.
I gave this book 5 stars becasue it was a thrilling page-turner that I never wanted to put down. It was very unpredictable and exciting. It was also ver suspenseful. This book made me not ony feel bad for Robie, but it also taught me what to do if I were ever in a survival situation because Robie uses many techniques and ordinary objects to help her survive. I think that this book would be great for anybody who can read because it was so good, maybe even ipossible to not like. It took me only 2 days to read this 231 page book becuse I could never put this book down!
Plot Summery-
What could be worse? Robie, a teenage girl from islands near Hawaii, always asked herself ths question when somehig bad was about to happen so she knew what was going to happen wasn't that bad, but after living through a plane crash in salty shark infested water she now knows what can be worse, because she undured the worst. The plane is about to go down as Max, the plane's co-pilot, pushes Robie out into the waters below and then jumps in himself. She is underwater for quite some time until Max pulls her up into a yellow raft that she is force to live in for several days. She relies on her former knowledge to help her 12 days of a struggle against sharks, weather, starvation, dehydration, extreme heat and sunburns, an infection, and she has to do all this while attempting to remain sane and save herself. In the end she descovers something about a person she barely knows and she finds she wasn't alone on her journey.
Main Characters-
Max- Co-Pilot, hero, rescuer, guilty, considerate, kind
Robie- animal lover, thoughtful, kind, nice, considerate, hopeful, faithful, smart, intelligent, greatful, lucky, scared, and resorceful
Key Issues-
survival.
I gave this book 5 stars becasue it was a thrilling page-turner that I never wanted to put down. It was very unpredictable and exciting. It was also ver suspenseful. This book made me not ony feel bad for Robie, but it also taught me what to do if I were ever in a survival situation because Robie uses many techniques and ordinary objects to help her survive. I think that this book would be great for anybody who can read because it was so good, maybe even ipossible to not like. It took me only 2 days to read this 231 page book becuse I could never put this book down!
April 15, 2017
The Raft follows a girl who gets trapped on a raft at sea. And that's... literally it. It was a meh novel waiting to happen, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
Her survivalist learning was fairly entertaining, and probably the best thing about this book. Survival stories have always been entertaining for me, and this one was no exception.
Robie as a character, however, is frustrating. She's a bit flat, first of all, but she's also needlessly stupid in pursuit of survival. She steals skittles from her boatmate and then accidentally drops some into the water. Stuff like that. Her stupidity is minor, but it's a big issue in a book that follows one character and only one. Following a stupid character is frustrating for the reader.
It's just a very meh novel. Nothing particularly good, nothing particularly bad.
Her survivalist learning was fairly entertaining, and probably the best thing about this book. Survival stories have always been entertaining for me, and this one was no exception.
Robie as a character, however, is frustrating. She's a bit flat, first of all, but she's also needlessly stupid in pursuit of survival. She steals skittles from her boatmate and then accidentally drops some into the water. Stuff like that. Her stupidity is minor, but it's a big issue in a book that follows one character and only one. Following a stupid character is frustrating for the reader.
It's just a very meh novel. Nothing particularly good, nothing particularly bad.
July 17, 2022
Ahhhh this book was so good again!!! 🫣🥳
It literally never gets old! And the plot twist at the end always gets me 🫣😂
It literally never gets old! And the plot twist at the end always gets me 🫣😂
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,622 reviews