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Follow the Water: The Unbelievable True Story of a Teenager's Survival in the Amazon
Not yet published
Expected 17 Mar 26A captivating and incredible true story about a girl who fell out of a plane over the Amazon—and walked out of the jungle eleven days later, perfect for fans of Hatchet and graduates of the I Survived series.
On Christmas Eve 1971, seventeen-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother boarded a plane in Lima, Peru, bound for their home at the Panguana Research station deep in the Amazon. Twenty minutes from landing, the plane was struck by lightning, and Juliane hurtled two miles down through the rainforest canopy, crashing on the jungle floor.
She woke up the next day with a broken collarbone, missing her glasses and one shoe, but incredibly, miraculously, alive. Pulling on every bit of knowledge her rainforest-studying parents imparted to her, she journeyed through the danger-filled jungle for eleven days. She was the sole survivor.
Complete with sidebars that explore and explain the science that allowed Juliane to survive her fall, the diversity of life in the Amazon jungle, the natural history of Peru and much more, Follow the Water is a powerful and unforgettable true story of survival against all odds.
On Christmas Eve 1971, seventeen-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother boarded a plane in Lima, Peru, bound for their home at the Panguana Research station deep in the Amazon. Twenty minutes from landing, the plane was struck by lightning, and Juliane hurtled two miles down through the rainforest canopy, crashing on the jungle floor.
She woke up the next day with a broken collarbone, missing her glasses and one shoe, but incredibly, miraculously, alive. Pulling on every bit of knowledge her rainforest-studying parents imparted to her, she journeyed through the danger-filled jungle for eleven days. She was the sole survivor.
Complete with sidebars that explore and explain the science that allowed Juliane to survive her fall, the diversity of life in the Amazon jungle, the natural history of Peru and much more, Follow the Water is a powerful and unforgettable true story of survival against all odds.
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 17, 2026
3 people are currently reading
3540 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Cochrane
2 books12 followersEllen Cochrane writes immersive nonfiction for young readers that trusts their intelligence and their emotions. Her debut, “Follow the Water,” tells the true story of 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke’s survival in the Amazon. It’s an adventure that reads like a thriller and teaches how science lives in the world: weather, rivers, canopy, and the choices that keep us alive.
A longtime middle school teacher of English, English learners, Spanish, and Russian, Ellen brings classroom clarity and compassion to complex topics. She studied science writing at Johns Hopkins, is a certified California Naturalist, and previously wrote a syndicated column exploring the natural world. As a teen exchange student she lived in Lima, Peru, and traveled the same route into the jungle that frames Juliane’s story.
Ellen lives in Sacramento, where she champions literacy, nature education, and conservation. A portion of proceeds from “Follow the Water” supports the Panguana Foundation. For more, visit EllenCochrane.com.
A longtime middle school teacher of English, English learners, Spanish, and Russian, Ellen brings classroom clarity and compassion to complex topics. She studied science writing at Johns Hopkins, is a certified California Naturalist, and previously wrote a syndicated column exploring the natural world. As a teen exchange student she lived in Lima, Peru, and traveled the same route into the jungle that frames Juliane’s story.
Ellen lives in Sacramento, where she champions literacy, nature education, and conservation. A portion of proceeds from “Follow the Water” supports the Panguana Foundation. For more, visit EllenCochrane.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
ARC provided by Books Forward
Julianne Koepcke's survival in the Amazon after a plane crash in 1971 is a riveting story that has been covered before in Olson's 2018 Lost in the Amazon: A Battle for Survival in the Heart of the Rainforest as well as her own 2012 memoir When I Fell from the Sky: The True Story of One Woman's Miraculous Survival. Follow the Water frames this true story in a way that will appeal to middle grade readers, with details about Koepcke's life before and after this tragic event and a lot of additional information about a variety of topics, such as wildlife in the Amazon, rainforest leaves, and bacteria and viruses.
Raised by biologist parents in Peru, in a remote research facility dubbed "Panguana", Juliane learned a lot about her environment and how to survive in it. When she reached high school age, she was required to attend a school in Lima. Right before Christmas in 1971, her mother visited her, and the two got on a small plane to return home.
When the plane went down, Juliana fell two miles to Earth, but sustained relatively few injuries. This was because her airplane seat was attached to another, so fell in a manner similar to a maple tree seed, which slowed her down, and she then fell through densely packed liana vines. She had a spinal cord injury and a broken collar bone, and ended up with just her dress, one shoe, and a handful of food she was able to find in the wreckage. Heeding her father's advice that she "follow the water", she traveled down the river despite her injuries. She was fairly fortunate that she was not attacked by any animals, although she did have maggots in her wounds and ended up with an infection from drinking the water. After eleven days, she came across a boat that she thought about taking, but also found a cabin and some woodcutters, who were very surprised to see her but took good care of her and helped her get to safety.
After this experience, Koepcke continued her studies. She worked as a librarian in Munich and eventually followed in her parents' footsteps to protect the Peruvian wilderness, often facing political difficulties. She specializes in bats, and continues to advocate for the rainforest.
I loved the factual details sprinkled throughout the book, but my favorite concerned the filmmaker Werner Herzog, who adapted her story into the 1998 film Wings of Hope. He had a personal connection to her story because he and his crew were waiting in line at the same airport as Koepcke but were unable to get on the flight, saving their lives!
The research that Cochrane did is extensive, and there is a great list of sources that includes books as well as multiple web sites. The story moves quickly, and has just enough detail about the events before and after the crash to add an extra level of interest. Hand this to readers who like true survival tales like Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad or fictional ones like Into the Rapids by Anne Braden.
Julianne Koepcke's survival in the Amazon after a plane crash in 1971 is a riveting story that has been covered before in Olson's 2018 Lost in the Amazon: A Battle for Survival in the Heart of the Rainforest as well as her own 2012 memoir When I Fell from the Sky: The True Story of One Woman's Miraculous Survival. Follow the Water frames this true story in a way that will appeal to middle grade readers, with details about Koepcke's life before and after this tragic event and a lot of additional information about a variety of topics, such as wildlife in the Amazon, rainforest leaves, and bacteria and viruses.
Raised by biologist parents in Peru, in a remote research facility dubbed "Panguana", Juliane learned a lot about her environment and how to survive in it. When she reached high school age, she was required to attend a school in Lima. Right before Christmas in 1971, her mother visited her, and the two got on a small plane to return home.
When the plane went down, Juliana fell two miles to Earth, but sustained relatively few injuries. This was because her airplane seat was attached to another, so fell in a manner similar to a maple tree seed, which slowed her down, and she then fell through densely packed liana vines. She had a spinal cord injury and a broken collar bone, and ended up with just her dress, one shoe, and a handful of food she was able to find in the wreckage. Heeding her father's advice that she "follow the water", she traveled down the river despite her injuries. She was fairly fortunate that she was not attacked by any animals, although she did have maggots in her wounds and ended up with an infection from drinking the water. After eleven days, she came across a boat that she thought about taking, but also found a cabin and some woodcutters, who were very surprised to see her but took good care of her and helped her get to safety.
After this experience, Koepcke continued her studies. She worked as a librarian in Munich and eventually followed in her parents' footsteps to protect the Peruvian wilderness, often facing political difficulties. She specializes in bats, and continues to advocate for the rainforest.
I loved the factual details sprinkled throughout the book, but my favorite concerned the filmmaker Werner Herzog, who adapted her story into the 1998 film Wings of Hope. He had a personal connection to her story because he and his crew were waiting in line at the same airport as Koepcke but were unable to get on the flight, saving their lives!
The research that Cochrane did is extensive, and there is a great list of sources that includes books as well as multiple web sites. The story moves quickly, and has just enough detail about the events before and after the crash to add an extra level of interest. Hand this to readers who like true survival tales like Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad or fictional ones like Into the Rapids by Anne Braden.
December 2, 2025
What worked:
The story is told using present-tense verbs, so readers will feel like the events are happening right then. The book opens with background information describing Julianne’s formative years. This section is important as it shows where she acquired most of her survival knowledge. “Normal” teenagers would probably perish in the Amazon jungle. Julianne’s parents study Amazonian flora and fauna, and they built a home in the jungle to support their work. Julianne spends most of her formative years in the Amazon, and her father teaches her about plants she can eat and dangers she should avoid. Following the water is an important survival skill he shares, since moving water will eventually lead to humans.
Sidebars are found in each chapter, and they present information relevant to Julianne’s situation. The first question readers will have is how a girl can still be alive after falling into a dense jungle from two miles in the sky. The book shares a scientific explanation. Hungry predators are a constant danger, so the book offers information about piranhas, jaguars, caimans, giant spiders, and various insects, including the screwworm fly. There’s even a part about the harmful effects of eating too much after starving for days. Julianne suffers from many severe injuries, and readers might wonder why she doesn’t succumb to the pain. The book provides information on how the human body responds to severe trauma and stressful situations. Some of the effects aren’t felt until several years pass. Pages at the end of the book share additional material related to the Amazon and how to become a scientist.
What didn’t work as well:
For the most part, middle-grade readers can appreciate Julianne’s ordeals. Some of the descriptions are graphic, especially when screwworm flies lay eggs in her open wounds. Julianne faces harrowing dangers in the jungle, but there’s not a moment when readers will feel her death is imminent. That’s probably due to her superior knowledge of survival.
The final verdict:
The book augments Julianne’s dramatic adventure with facts to describe jungle hazards and the science of her survival. The tale is even more amazing when readers understand that everything described happened to a real, living teenager. I recommend you try the book for yourself.
The story is told using present-tense verbs, so readers will feel like the events are happening right then. The book opens with background information describing Julianne’s formative years. This section is important as it shows where she acquired most of her survival knowledge. “Normal” teenagers would probably perish in the Amazon jungle. Julianne’s parents study Amazonian flora and fauna, and they built a home in the jungle to support their work. Julianne spends most of her formative years in the Amazon, and her father teaches her about plants she can eat and dangers she should avoid. Following the water is an important survival skill he shares, since moving water will eventually lead to humans.
Sidebars are found in each chapter, and they present information relevant to Julianne’s situation. The first question readers will have is how a girl can still be alive after falling into a dense jungle from two miles in the sky. The book shares a scientific explanation. Hungry predators are a constant danger, so the book offers information about piranhas, jaguars, caimans, giant spiders, and various insects, including the screwworm fly. There’s even a part about the harmful effects of eating too much after starving for days. Julianne suffers from many severe injuries, and readers might wonder why she doesn’t succumb to the pain. The book provides information on how the human body responds to severe trauma and stressful situations. Some of the effects aren’t felt until several years pass. Pages at the end of the book share additional material related to the Amazon and how to become a scientist.
What didn’t work as well:
For the most part, middle-grade readers can appreciate Julianne’s ordeals. Some of the descriptions are graphic, especially when screwworm flies lay eggs in her open wounds. Julianne faces harrowing dangers in the jungle, but there’s not a moment when readers will feel her death is imminent. That’s probably due to her superior knowledge of survival.
The final verdict:
The book augments Julianne’s dramatic adventure with facts to describe jungle hazards and the science of her survival. The tale is even more amazing when readers understand that everything described happened to a real, living teenager. I recommend you try the book for yourself.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks to Little, Brown for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book had a lot. It was dense and data heavy. I appreciated the sidebars on all the critters and plants that Juliane encountered on her quest for survival. There was a lot of "nope" screaming in my head as I read about spiders as big as a puppy and bacteria and screwworms (lots of ick for me).
It was remarkable but not unbelievable that Juliane survived. Her parents raised her in that environment with the knowledge of how to survive. The Amazon IS all about survival, honestly.
I recommend this for older YA readers. It is a lot to digest for 10 year olds who might be overwhelmed by all the talk about botany and government discord in that area of the world.
This book had a lot. It was dense and data heavy. I appreciated the sidebars on all the critters and plants that Juliane encountered on her quest for survival. There was a lot of "nope" screaming in my head as I read about spiders as big as a puppy and bacteria and screwworms (lots of ick for me).
It was remarkable but not unbelievable that Juliane survived. Her parents raised her in that environment with the knowledge of how to survive. The Amazon IS all about survival, honestly.
I recommend this for older YA readers. It is a lot to digest for 10 year olds who might be overwhelmed by all the talk about botany and government discord in that area of the world.
November 26, 2025
Extraordinary story (children's version) of Juliane's survival of a plane crash in the Amazon Forest. Daughter of two scientists researching the forest, she had some insight into how to deal with the cruelty of nature, but she was also fortunate. I couldn't put this down. It also includes scientific excavations between chapters of the most relevant keywords. It makes me want to see the movie and get her biography. I am happy that she was strong enough to dedicate her life to doing valuable work.
December 6, 2025
3.5 First, the good. This book has inset boxes with important information about the creatures and plants of the rainforest. I was reading an advance copy (thank you NetGalley) but illustrations are promised in the final edition. These are excellent for teaching the book and making it accessible to diverse learning groups. However, this book is about super interesting true events, yet the author fails to make it the stirring adventure it is. Writing technique needs work. Great concept but lacking in execution.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews