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Stranded #3
Survivors
Sequel to the New York Times bestseller Stranded and Trial by Fire!
As seen on The Today Show, Rachael Ray, and Kelly and Michael.
From the Emmy-Award winning host of Survivor, Jeff Probst with Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life co-author Chris Tebbetts comes a brand new family adventure series!
Eleven days down, and no end in sight. How long could YOU survive?
It’s been days since Buzz, Vanessa, Carter and Jane were stranded on a deserted island in the middle of the South Pacific. Four kids left to fend for themselves. No adults. No supplies. They’ve managed to make fire and they’ve even found food. But they’ve just lost their only shelter, and quite possibly their one chance at being rescued. Now they’ll have to venture even deeper into the jungles of Nowhere Island just to stay alive. But the island holds secrets of a dark past. With danger lurking at every turn, they must rely on each other like never before it they are going to survive.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
100 people are currently reading
800 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Probst
31 books154 followersJeff Probst is the multi-Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of the popular series "Survivor."
After years of young fans asking, "When are you going to do a Survivor for kids?" Jeff took his wife's advice and created a children's adventure series based on Survivor -- where the kids are the ones STRANDED.
After years of young fans asking, "When are you going to do a Survivor for kids?" Jeff took his wife's advice and created a children's adventure series based on Survivor -- where the kids are the ones STRANDED.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
April 14, 2025
A surprisingly good trilogy but honestly I thought the ending was lackluster. Otherwise good and I think very appropriate for the age range. 4 stars
April 12, 2016
I thought that this book was great because I have read the first and second books of the series and I enjoyed them very much. I really liked this because I kind of thought that they would get rescued because it was the the third book and there is five and this is the third. I also thought it was great because I liked how it included every little detail that they could add in, these details really helped out because it made you believe more of the situation. When they got the fish it was really exciting because they hadn't really eaten real food in days. I also liked it because at the end it was heart warming because you really felt for them. I felt for them because they had been on that island for almost 2 weeks. That is why I gave this book the 5 stars.
April 3, 2019
I'm kind of getting bored with this series because all 3 books have been exactly the same: Discover how to light a bonfire, see a plane, fail to get planes attention, and so on.
April 9, 2021
"I liked the book Survivors because they finally get out with an airplane after three weeks on an island without food or water. One person drank this water that wasn't boiled yet and it was sea water, and they got really sick." -Cadee, age 8
December 29, 2024
4.5 best one so far!
March 28, 2018
Personal Response-I thought this book was very good. I enjoyed the moral of the story. Jeff Probst did a good job writing this book. I like the struggle he made the four kids go through. I would have made the ending a little slower it seemed like the last few pages went by very quickly.
Plot- Four young kids got stranded on an island in the middle of the South Pacific after their plane crashed. They realized they were on an island no one knew about, so they used all their knowledge they had to figure out what to do next to survive. Buzz reacted quickly by going to find water and food. He found coconuts and a couple things lost from the plane that they could have used as shelter. After a few days of being stranded on this random island, the four kids started fighting about who should be the leader.
Characterization- The four characters in this book were all under the age of twelve. They were also all brothers and sisters. Vanessa was the oldest one, so she felt as if she had to keep everyone else alive. Carter was the second oldest. He felt as if he should be the leader because he was the strongest among the four of them. Buzz was a video gaming nerd who knew the most about survival because of all those games. Jane was the youngest. She didn't know anything about survival. Carter and Vanessa are brother and sister, and Jane and Buzz are brother and sister.
Setting- This book took place on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where four kids must survive by themselves. The island consisted of horrible rain storms, dramatic temperature changes, and fierce wind that could knock trees over. This island was also home to a large cave with hundreds of wild boars living in it.
Theme- The main theme was man vs nature. The theme fits this book because four kids were going against nature to survive. The way those four kids put their heads together and were able to live longer than a few days was amazing to me. It's amazing what humans can do when death can come at any second. They all hated each other at times, but in order for survival they would have to get along.
Recommendation- I recommend this book to younger kids who are interested in adventures or the outdoors. I give it three out of five stars, because the book was kind of cheesy. When one of the kids cut their hand and got a bad infection he would have died instead, he built a fire and found coconuts at the top of a tree. The ending came quickly but over all was still a good book.
Plot- Four young kids got stranded on an island in the middle of the South Pacific after their plane crashed. They realized they were on an island no one knew about, so they used all their knowledge they had to figure out what to do next to survive. Buzz reacted quickly by going to find water and food. He found coconuts and a couple things lost from the plane that they could have used as shelter. After a few days of being stranded on this random island, the four kids started fighting about who should be the leader.
Characterization- The four characters in this book were all under the age of twelve. They were also all brothers and sisters. Vanessa was the oldest one, so she felt as if she had to keep everyone else alive. Carter was the second oldest. He felt as if he should be the leader because he was the strongest among the four of them. Buzz was a video gaming nerd who knew the most about survival because of all those games. Jane was the youngest. She didn't know anything about survival. Carter and Vanessa are brother and sister, and Jane and Buzz are brother and sister.
Setting- This book took place on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where four kids must survive by themselves. The island consisted of horrible rain storms, dramatic temperature changes, and fierce wind that could knock trees over. This island was also home to a large cave with hundreds of wild boars living in it.
Theme- The main theme was man vs nature. The theme fits this book because four kids were going against nature to survive. The way those four kids put their heads together and were able to live longer than a few days was amazing to me. It's amazing what humans can do when death can come at any second. They all hated each other at times, but in order for survival they would have to get along.
Recommendation- I recommend this book to younger kids who are interested in adventures or the outdoors. I give it three out of five stars, because the book was kind of cheesy. When one of the kids cut their hand and got a bad infection he would have died instead, he built a fire and found coconuts at the top of a tree. The ending came quickly but over all was still a good book.
February 28, 2019
Good gracious, these kids have been through a lot! Especially poor Carter--my word!!! Yeah, that was intense, and I'm saying that as an adult. ;) I was swept along in the story, guessing, anticipating, and problem solving right along with the kids. I love how they finally managed to band together and work together instead of arguing so much, and how truly concerned they were at the thought of losing any one of them. The resilience and resourcefulness they show is just incredible, and the challenges they face would be massive for people twice their age!
I've really, really enjoyed this trilogy, and I love this last installment. Rating a little lower than the others for one survival scenario that was frankly disgusting--and I'm not talking about eating grubs. I get that in a situation like this, you do what you have to, period, but even so, putting that specific scenario in the book could have been avoided. And just a tiny thing, but by 3/4 of the way into the book, I could pretty much repeat the "they all did/had/were/etc." refrain any time one of the kids made an observation about how much a certain one had grown or changed. ;)
Content--dangerous situations; some arguing and a few uses of "stupid"; mentions of wounds ; one not-for-mixed-company survival scenario (see above)
I've really, really enjoyed this trilogy, and I love this last installment. Rating a little lower than the others for one survival scenario that was frankly disgusting--and I'm not talking about eating grubs. I get that in a situation like this, you do what you have to, period, but even so, putting that specific scenario in the book could have been avoided. And just a tiny thing, but by 3/4 of the way into the book, I could pretty much repeat the "they all did/had/were/etc." refrain any time one of the kids made an observation about how much a certain one had grown or changed. ;)
Content--dangerous situations; some arguing and a few uses of "stupid"; mentions of wounds ; one not-for-mixed-company survival scenario (see above)
Read
May 29, 2018In this book, there are four kids who went to a vacation with their parents. Their parents wanted some time alone so the kids decides to go with there uncle. There was a huge storm that separated these fours kids Vannessa, Buzz, Carter and Jane and are now stranded.
It is now their 3rd week on the island. They saw two planes fly over, but they were too late to get there attention. The only shelter they had was destroyed by a big storm, Vanessa knew they needed to find a new place to stay before dark time so she went out to find a new place to stay. After a while she found a clean water source, then she found a cargo ship. As she got closer she saw a human skeleton and ran back to tell the others. They all went together to check out the cargo ship, they were hoping there was some kind radio for them to communicate with someone. As they looked around the boat they found a lot of broken stuff as they got to a room that looked like an office they started to smell something weird. There was a hatch on the floor but there was no screws as they opened it they was a rope to go down. Carter then went down and saw a bucket of oil he brought it to the deck. They poured a little, as they found out that the fire grew which meant that they didn't have to struggle to make fire. They ended up going spear fishing the next day with a little raft they made out of wood. They ended up catching a lot of fish but they saw something in the water and thought it was a shark as they hurried to get of the water the raft broke apart. Everyone ended up with a piece of wood. as they made there way to the shore. They found out that they were dolphins. As they woke up they heard a plane up in the air they tried everything to get its attention, they got an idea by lighting up the boat on fire with a flare. They threw it inside the hatch and ran out the boat and it explode making a huge fire, also smoke. When the plane landed their parents were inside.
Personal responds: I think this book should be for kids that are older than 13 years old because this book includes a lot of stuff that aren't for little kids.
It is now their 3rd week on the island. They saw two planes fly over, but they were too late to get there attention. The only shelter they had was destroyed by a big storm, Vanessa knew they needed to find a new place to stay before dark time so she went out to find a new place to stay. After a while she found a clean water source, then she found a cargo ship. As she got closer she saw a human skeleton and ran back to tell the others. They all went together to check out the cargo ship, they were hoping there was some kind radio for them to communicate with someone. As they looked around the boat they found a lot of broken stuff as they got to a room that looked like an office they started to smell something weird. There was a hatch on the floor but there was no screws as they opened it they was a rope to go down. Carter then went down and saw a bucket of oil he brought it to the deck. They poured a little, as they found out that the fire grew which meant that they didn't have to struggle to make fire. They ended up going spear fishing the next day with a little raft they made out of wood. They ended up catching a lot of fish but they saw something in the water and thought it was a shark as they hurried to get of the water the raft broke apart. Everyone ended up with a piece of wood. as they made there way to the shore. They found out that they were dolphins. As they woke up they heard a plane up in the air they tried everything to get its attention, they got an idea by lighting up the boat on fire with a flare. They threw it inside the hatch and ran out the boat and it explode making a huge fire, also smoke. When the plane landed their parents were inside.
Personal responds: I think this book should be for kids that are older than 13 years old because this book includes a lot of stuff that aren't for little kids.
February 27, 2021
The stakes get higher in the third Stranded book, about young step-siblings stranded on a deserted island. Eleven-year-old Carter is getting sick as the cut on his hand has become infected. As he slowly withers away before their eyes, will they have any hope of rescue?
The survival part of this series is much more intense than that of most stranded-on-a-deserted-island novels. They kids resort to eating snake, snails, and grubs, since there's minimal tropical fruit (only coconuts) on the island and fishing isn't easy on their island. The suspense level really ratchets up in this novel, with several near-death experiences for the kids. The audio book narrator is doing better with this one, too, helping to build suspense rather than sounding like he's bored (like the first audio book). Overall, I think this is a mostly well-written and entertaining novel.
The survival part of this series is much more intense than that of most stranded-on-a-deserted-island novels. They kids resort to eating snake, snails, and grubs, since there's minimal tropical fruit (only coconuts) on the island and fishing isn't easy on their island. The suspense level really ratchets up in this novel, with several near-death experiences for the kids. The audio book narrator is doing better with this one, too, helping to build suspense rather than sounding like he's bored (like the first audio book). Overall, I think this is a mostly well-written and entertaining novel.
May 14, 2020
I really love the underlying messages of this exciting story of survival and peril:
You can do it! 💙
You will survive! 💚
Rely on your friends and family to get you through! 💛
Help others! 🧡
Have hope! 💜
You can do it! 💙
You will survive! 💚
Rely on your friends and family to get you through! 💛
Help others! 🧡
Have hope! 💜
November 13, 2019
Cute series...I enjoyed them.
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March 26, 2018Plot
Vanessa, Carter, Buzz, and Jane are stuck on nowhere island, after the ship the "Lucky Star"got beached. The two people that were controlling the ship, their uncle and first sail mate, were thrown overboard during a massive storm. They have become a family trying to survive. The family is trying to find a way off the island and survive because they are struggling. in the end the "family" got the attention of a plane flying bye and it was their parents coming to find them.
Personal Response
The book wasn't the worst but I think that the characters were being kind of babies about the situation. Like they are constantly wishing they had food from home or the ship. The characters were also not smart about food and water supply when they had it. They had ate all the food like they were back home and not making it last like they should have. I think it's a little unrealistic because a small raft held up four people
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to only certain crowds of people. One of those would be someone that is a survivalist or is interested by survival books. And another group is someone who likes sailing and traveling the sea. One of the others would be someone looking to read any type of book for their enjoyment. The last group I would recommend is someone looking for a easier and shorter book like Brody.
Vanessa, Carter, Buzz, and Jane are stuck on nowhere island, after the ship the "Lucky Star"got beached. The two people that were controlling the ship, their uncle and first sail mate, were thrown overboard during a massive storm. They have become a family trying to survive. The family is trying to find a way off the island and survive because they are struggling. in the end the "family" got the attention of a plane flying bye and it was their parents coming to find them.
Personal Response
The book wasn't the worst but I think that the characters were being kind of babies about the situation. Like they are constantly wishing they had food from home or the ship. The characters were also not smart about food and water supply when they had it. They had ate all the food like they were back home and not making it last like they should have. I think it's a little unrealistic because a small raft held up four people
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to only certain crowds of people. One of those would be someone that is a survivalist or is interested by survival books. And another group is someone who likes sailing and traveling the sea. One of the others would be someone looking to read any type of book for their enjoyment. The last group I would recommend is someone looking for a easier and shorter book like Brody.
July 19, 2014
Buzz looked over the edge. Straight down from where he stood, at the bottom of a hundred-foot cliff, ocean waves lapped at the rocky shoreline of Nowhere Island.
"We're going to have to climb down," Carter said.
"Tell me you're joking!" Buzz shouted.
The final book in the Stranded trilogy by Jeff Probst. The adventure on the island continues. The kids face more danger and excitement, as in the previous books. Even a small cut can be dangerous on this island and even the slightest mistakes can have serious consequences. Will the kids be rescued?
Once again, this book will appeal to young reluctant readers who enjoy adventure stories. The book is short and easy to read. I read it in an afternoon and enjoyed it very much.
"We're going to have to climb down," Carter said.
"Tell me you're joking!" Buzz shouted.
The final book in the Stranded trilogy by Jeff Probst. The adventure on the island continues. The kids face more danger and excitement, as in the previous books. Even a small cut can be dangerous on this island and even the slightest mistakes can have serious consequences. Will the kids be rescued?
Once again, this book will appeal to young reluctant readers who enjoy adventure stories. The book is short and easy to read. I read it in an afternoon and enjoyed it very much.
March 31, 2015
A great ending to an adventure filled trilogy. The characters continued to show growth and development through this story. I liked that I could not predict all of the twists and turns going on through the book even though the ending was predictable (ahen the title gives it away).
January 19, 2015
This was a great ending to the Stranded books. I loved every one of them. I definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to read an exciting book. Great series!
April 30, 2019
This was an epic conclusion to the adventure of the Benson family. I got so emotional at the end, lol.
February 2, 2017
The book survivors is a wonderful book and the third of its series. The author Jeff Probst is not only an author, but he is also the host of the popular show, "Survivor". Now that the kids have lost thier boat to take shelter in they now have to find a new shetler. What the kids do is get bamboo leaves and sticks to creat their new home. When they are finished it is alright night so they try out their new house on the beach. That night the kid's island gets hit with a terrible storm which ends up taking out their shelter. They are trudging through the rain and mud trying to find somewhere to stay. They find a dry cave to stay in which becomes their new shelter. Later the next day they hear something. What they hear is a plane and they get excited, but when they can't make it to the hill in time to light their signal fire, the plane flies right over them. The kids lose lots of hope, they become sad, and for a while they lay around doing nothing. When the kids finally get up they are all extremely hungry. They ran out of the boat's food supplies so that means they need to go...deeper into the jungle, scared of what they might face when they go, but they have to because their life is on the now on the line, their only option is to find food, or die. I feel that the theme of this book would have to be that when something goes wrong, try your best to make best of the situation, because the kids as they try and survive they keep getting setbacks such as losing the supplies and shelter of the boat, along with when they built their new house it was also destroyed, but they hurried and rushed to finding a new shelter and did their best to make it as comfortable as possible for the younger kids.
February 8, 2023
I enjoyed this series. This book wraps things up pretty well. If anything, it ended a bit too soon. I would have liked to have seen more growth from some of the characters (one in particular), and it would have been nice to see more survival/life on the island. Overall, the series had some good description, and the final book brought a few new and interesting twists. A fun collection that's quick and easy to read.
March 7, 2022
I definitely warmed up to this series over time, and the kids and I enjoyed book #3. There is plenty of action to keep young readers engaged (and some gross stuff that made me gag) and by the end of the book I was a little teary ('cause I'm a mom who was aching for those kids missing their mom and dad and I just couldn't help it.)
If you pick up this series just know that you have to read all 3 books; the first 2 don't have an ending per se, because the rescue doesn't happen until book 3. I saw in a blurb that the next books in the series have the kids stranded *again* before they even get home, so I assume you'd be committing to reading the next 3 as well. But the end of this one is a good stopping point. The survival element of these would be entertaining as a classroom read and they do read pretty quickly.
If you pick up this series just know that you have to read all 3 books; the first 2 don't have an ending per se, because the rescue doesn't happen until book 3. I saw in a blurb that the next books in the series have the kids stranded *again* before they even get home, so I assume you'd be committing to reading the next 3 as well. But the end of this one is a good stopping point. The survival element of these would be entertaining as a classroom read and they do read pretty quickly.
June 12, 2022
Surviving on a deserted island is no piece of cake. What they wouldn't give for a piece of cake? But they only have coconuts and snails....yuck. Vanessa, Carter, Buzz and Jane are finally working better together. When Carter, Jane and Buzz hear a plane they must run to light the rescue fire they have built on top of the volcano. An unfortunate accident causes them to stop without being able to signal the plane and now they are not only stranded on the island but at the top of the volcano with no easy way back to their camp. On the other side of the island Vanessa is exploring and finds a wonderful shelter for them. She can't wait to let them know about her discovery. It's a big one making some wonderful changes to help them survive. But then one of them gets sick, bad sick. Will they be rescued in time? Will they be rescued at all?
May 7, 2018
A Surviving Title
All three of the books in the stranded trilogy are great, but I enjoyed this one the most. I enjoyed this book because it was filled with adventure and the characters had to use their brains and figure out ways to survive. I recommend reading all three of the books, they were all amazing. I think young teens would love this trilogy. My favorite part was when they found the other boat that had crashed on the island. This book reminds me of the book Hatchet because they both had to survive in the wild by themselves. I loved this book and I think you will too.
All three of the books in the stranded trilogy are great, but I enjoyed this one the most. I enjoyed this book because it was filled with adventure and the characters had to use their brains and figure out ways to survive. I recommend reading all three of the books, they were all amazing. I think young teens would love this trilogy. My favorite part was when they found the other boat that had crashed on the island. This book reminds me of the book Hatchet because they both had to survive in the wild by themselves. I loved this book and I think you will too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2018
My son (11) and I read this to each other before his bedtime (because why not - if he’s still willing to have a little bedtime story session I’m not going to rush to end it). And he LOVED this series. He would often exclaim “No!” or “Come on!” while we read this which means he’s about as engaged as one could possibly want. The book is a little simpler than he needs - and really is probably at a grade 4 level, but the action and story of kids fighting for their survival against all odds was so appealing to both of us that I can understand it’s attraction.
May 7, 2025
Stranded is the first book in this middle grade series, then Trial by Fire, and Survivor is the last novel.
Four kids set sail after their parents get married. They end up shipwrecked. Each child brings their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
These novels can teach great survival skills, ideas, and that working together is so much better than being alone.
I loved the idea that anyone can use their brains to solve problems and stay alive. Great message and not scary.
We own book one and I listened to them on Hoopla.
Cw: sickness, dead remains (not gory).
Four kids set sail after their parents get married. They end up shipwrecked. Each child brings their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
These novels can teach great survival skills, ideas, and that working together is so much better than being alone.
I loved the idea that anyone can use their brains to solve problems and stay alive. Great message and not scary.
We own book one and I listened to them on Hoopla.
Cw: sickness, dead remains (not gory).
November 7, 2022
Survivors- jeff probst (stranded #3)
11 days in and Carter, Vanessa, Buzz and Jane are still together, stranded on an island and still surviving.
I like how they've grown in such a short time and I couldn't wait to see how the series ended.
Great series which kids will really enjoy!
4*****
11 days in and Carter, Vanessa, Buzz and Jane are still together, stranded on an island and still surviving.
I like how they've grown in such a short time and I couldn't wait to see how the series ended.
Great series which kids will really enjoy!
4*****
March 13, 2024
I enjoyed the series. Definitely could have been one book instead of splitting into 3 and even reads like it was originally written all together and then split just to be able to charge for each individually. But they have great pacing, a good story, good character development, and do a once cliched trope well enough to distinguish itself.
December 3, 2024
This is the 3rd and last book in the Stranded series. The kids find a different boat that shipwreaked with some supplies they are able to use. A mishap cause Carter to get an infection. A plane passes over. Will they be found? This was a good read, but don't believe it could have been 1 book instead of 3.
May 4, 2018
Jeff Probst, the host of TV's Survivor, finishes the middle reader saga of four kids in a newly blended family, stranded on a deserted island after their boat is wrecked. I really enjoyed the books, surprised by the interesting story.
July 23, 2020
Fans of the Survivor series, will recognize recreations of a couple of the more intense scenes in the show. Now, however, they are happening to kids on a deserted island! This is the last book in a trilogy, that I really enjoyed during my summer reading.
December 9, 2021
The fun conclusion to the Survivors trilogy. It's pretty basic and mainly gives an understanding of how they get off the island, and tie up the conclusion to the series. If you've read any of the other books, you have to finish the series, though it's pretty obvious how it's all tied up.
January 28, 2022
This 3rd book had me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I was worried there was a 4th book and I was going to have to find it to see what happened to these kids. Great read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews