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Terror at Bottle Creek
Terror at Bottle Creek by Watt Key is a harrowing survival story set in a gripping, man vs. nature situation.
“This is Hatchet for the post-Katrina generation, and it’s sure to find an audience.” ― Booklist
In this gritty, realistic wilderness adventure, thirteen-year-old Cort is caught in a battle against a Gulf Coast hurricane.
Cort's father is a local expert on hunting and swamp lore in lower Alabama who has been teaching his son everything he knows. But when a deadly Category 3 storm makes landfall, Cort must unexpectedly put all his skills―and bravery―to the test.
One catastrophe seems to lead to another, leaving Cort and two neighbor girls to face the storm as best they can. Amid miles of storm-thrashed wetlands filled with dangerous, desperate wild animals, it's up to Cort to win―or lose―the fight for their lives.
This is a thrilling survivalist story by Watt Key, the author of Alabama Moon, Dirt Road Home, and Hideout .
This title has Common Core connections.
“This is Hatchet for the post-Katrina generation, and it’s sure to find an audience.” ― Booklist
In this gritty, realistic wilderness adventure, thirteen-year-old Cort is caught in a battle against a Gulf Coast hurricane.
Cort's father is a local expert on hunting and swamp lore in lower Alabama who has been teaching his son everything he knows. But when a deadly Category 3 storm makes landfall, Cort must unexpectedly put all his skills―and bravery―to the test.
One catastrophe seems to lead to another, leaving Cort and two neighbor girls to face the storm as best they can. Amid miles of storm-thrashed wetlands filled with dangerous, desperate wild animals, it's up to Cort to win―or lose―the fight for their lives.
This is a thrilling survivalist story by Watt Key, the author of Alabama Moon, Dirt Road Home, and Hideout .
This title has Common Core connections.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2016
173 people are currently reading
1443 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
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October 17, 2022This was such a good book to read. So good that I would not stop reading it. I love this book because this book has a very complex story and the author writes the book in a way where you feel like that your there with the characters. I would recommend this book to people who like disaster book or stories.
March 15, 2021
3.5 stars. Satisfactory middle grade wilderness survival story. Short and succinct enough to hold reluctant readers' interest. Based on the author's own life experiences living on the Gulf Coast through numerous hurricanes. Grades 5+. Plan to read more by this author.
June 6, 2024
This is a quick fast paced read that you don’t want to put down once you start. It’s easy to keep flipping through the pages and following along as the story unfolds, it’s very well wrote! The descriptions and the details definitely do an awesome job of painting pictures for you, it’s a good read!
The book follows Cort, a young boy who’s grown up in the Alabama delta his whole life. His dad is a river guide who has had Cort tag along on alligator hunts, hog tracking, and navigating the river his whole life. So when a hurricane threatens to hit the place Cort lives, Cort finds himself in an unknown territory. With his dad and his neighborhood friends mom going to check on a house, Cort finds himself alone with the two neighborhood girls in the eye of the storm. They float down river and end up alone, where the hurricane isn’t the only thing they have to worry about.
As Cort tries to keep the girls and himself safe, get help, and find a way back home…lots of things threaten to get in the way of that. From the gators he’s hunted his whole life, to dangerous snakes, relentless hogs, and the hurricane and all the elements it brings with it. The story follows Cort as he makes decision after decision on how to stay safe and alive with the girls as he experiences the delta the first time on his own, using what his dad taught him, without having him there to guide him. So does he have what it takes to survive? Give it a read, definitely worth a try!
This is a quick, short read that’s entertaining and fast paced and thrilling in a way that this stuff does happen so it’s a fun little insight into real events that could occur. I liked it! It’s short and sweet, to the point with good details, wild moments, and overall just a great adventure and story. I would recommend it as a quick, fast read that’s good!
The book follows Cort, a young boy who’s grown up in the Alabama delta his whole life. His dad is a river guide who has had Cort tag along on alligator hunts, hog tracking, and navigating the river his whole life. So when a hurricane threatens to hit the place Cort lives, Cort finds himself in an unknown territory. With his dad and his neighborhood friends mom going to check on a house, Cort finds himself alone with the two neighborhood girls in the eye of the storm. They float down river and end up alone, where the hurricane isn’t the only thing they have to worry about.
As Cort tries to keep the girls and himself safe, get help, and find a way back home…lots of things threaten to get in the way of that. From the gators he’s hunted his whole life, to dangerous snakes, relentless hogs, and the hurricane and all the elements it brings with it. The story follows Cort as he makes decision after decision on how to stay safe and alive with the girls as he experiences the delta the first time on his own, using what his dad taught him, without having him there to guide him. So does he have what it takes to survive? Give it a read, definitely worth a try!
This is a quick, short read that’s entertaining and fast paced and thrilling in a way that this stuff does happen so it’s a fun little insight into real events that could occur. I liked it! It’s short and sweet, to the point with good details, wild moments, and overall just a great adventure and story. I would recommend it as a quick, fast read that’s good!
February 19, 2018
A decent kids' adventure with good stock traumas (lack of parents during a hurricane, scared girls -- one little and one your age -- to protect, injuries, etc), albeit with a narrator I could not enjoy because I kept picturing him as a barefoot hillbilly smelling as fishy as his dog, despite how vehemently he kept talking about not wanting to live on and make a living off the river all his life like his dad.
Props for a vivid picture of the story's inspiration, though: in a hurricane, where do all the creatures of the swamp go? Onto whatever high ground there is, no matter how close the quarters. And what if the creatures of the swamp include a type I am honestly still baffled to realize we have in this country: wild/feral hogs?
Props for a vivid picture of the story's inspiration, though: in a hurricane, where do all the creatures of the swamp go? Onto whatever high ground there is, no matter how close the quarters. And what if the creatures of the swamp include a type I am honestly still baffled to realize we have in this country: wild/feral hogs?
January 29, 2020
I finished another one! ❤
February 5, 2018
It was really good and it had really good description of the hurricane
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October 26, 2016i read the book "Terror at bottle creek" by watt key,the genre is nonfiction and publication date is 2016. In my opinion i rate this book 5 stars and this is a really great adventure book. the main characters are Court a 13 yr old boy who follows his own rules; Liza a 13 yr old girl who likes court, follows him, and helps him a lot; Franci a 4 yr old girl who follows liza and is liza's sister. main conflict is court is trying to keep the girls alive and safe, the setting is in the woods/creek in a storm and the main plot is court and the girls must survive 5 days alone in the storm. text evidence 1: "as we climb the mound ( a mound is a big tree) i see the bear in the next tree and franci yells elmo", text evidence 2: "the bear saved us killing the hog and letting us run to safety".the story was confusing because the setting and characters changed a lot through out the story. I recommend this for others because it has a lot of adventure and i recommend this for ages 11 and up.
March 14, 2016
Thank you so much NetGalley for the free e-copy of this book! I'm so glad you chose me!
I'm telling you that this book is GREAT! It's such a well written story with a lot of heart and a fantastic main character! Cort is an old soul, who is smart, clever, and sweet. You are really going to fall in love with this kid! There were many times in this story that I was left breathless because of the dangers that these kids faced during the hurricane. I'm pretty sure that this book is going to be a huge hit with boys (girls too), and I will be recommending it to reluctant readers...I dare them not to like it! LOL!!! It's a must read!!!
I'm telling you that this book is GREAT! It's such a well written story with a lot of heart and a fantastic main character! Cort is an old soul, who is smart, clever, and sweet. You are really going to fall in love with this kid! There were many times in this story that I was left breathless because of the dangers that these kids faced during the hurricane. I'm pretty sure that this book is going to be a huge hit with boys (girls too), and I will be recommending it to reluctant readers...I dare them not to like it! LOL!!! It's a must read!!!
June 12, 2016
First 80 pages, meh. The other part of the book, WOW!
July 22, 2017
Cort and his father live on a houseboat anchored just off the Gulf Coast of Alabama. His father makes his living as a river guide, he often takes Cort on the trips with him. Cort has learned much about life in and around the swamps, but his father knows so much more.
Right now two things are distracting. One, Cort's mother and father have separated. Cort is angry with his mother and wants nothing to do with her. Cort's father can't accept that his wife is gone and spends long hours either at her new home or sitting outside her new home. He wants his wife to come back.
Cort is also distracted by upcoming reports of an approaching hurricane. Normally he and his father would work diligently to prepare for the violent storm. But, now, Cort's father is too busy worrying about Cort's mother and Cort can't do it all.
Cort and his father live on land (well technically they live on the water, but still) owned by the Stovall family. Mr. Stovall died and Cort and his father took on the task of caring for their property - a dock and marina - in exchange for free rent.
Lisa, her sister Francie and their mother are extremely generous with Cort and his father. Cort and Lisa attend school together and recently he has been viewing her as more than just a friend.
The night the hurricane is due to come to shore, preparations have been delayed by Cort's father's insistence on visiting his wife - who lives further inland. He says he is going to try and buy ice, but he is gone for hours and Cort is worried. Mrs. Stovall tells Cort she will drive over and bring Cort's father back with her.
However, the storm is worse than anticipated and they are unable to return due to flooding. Cort is frantic about being left in the home alone with the two girls and his dog. His father assures him he knows what to do and tells him he will be back tomorrow.
However, things get really scary really quickly when Francie is pulled onto Cort's houseboat by his dog, Catfish. Cort had been worried about how the houseboat was stabilized and when trying to get to Francie, it becomes unmoored and begins to drift down the river. Cort, Lisa, Francie and Catfish are at the mercy of the storm, the river and the debris it now contains.
Eventually they are able to get off the boat and are planning to move into the swamp and take cover on the top of the highest burial mound in the area. The burial mound at Bottle Creek. There are several ancient Indian burial mounds in their area and the one there is the highest and likely to stay dry despite the storm's violence.
After much difficult and almost an entire night of trudging they make it to the mounds. Then they realize that their terror has only just begun. They aren't the only ones seeking cover on the mound. And, the others aren't going to welcome them. Many of the animals from the swamp have also sought higher ground. They are going to have to work their way through a myriad of wild animals (including small harmless ones and large predators) to seek shelter on the mound.
As they approach they realize just how precarious this plan will be. Fortunately there is a tree on the mound that they are able to climb. They get up the tree just in time, because a wild boar is on a rampage and he wants them to be his next victims. Cort is last into the tree and he suffers a wound on his thigh from the pig's tusk.
The pig continues to rampage on the ground and Cort realizes that many of the snakes from the swamp are also in the trees. The worst of these is the cottonmouth. He removes as many as he can with a spear he has constructed from a tree limb and the glass of the compass. But he can't get them all and it is in the nature of a snake to bite. Lisa is bitten on her foot. Cort attempts to remove the poison from the wound, but he knows some remains and he knows how damaging such a bite can be.
He resolves to leave the tree and find help. He manages this by jumping from tree to tree until he is far enough away from the mound (and out of trees) to jump into the water. The pig has been tracking him the entire time, but once he is in the deep water the pig stops following.
Cort makes it almost all the way but realizes he cannot manage to cross the turbulent river. He is ready to give up, but he can't desert the girls. He manages to balance himself on top of a passing refrigerator and is lying there spent, when he thinks he hears his father. He believes he is delirious until his father shows up and pulls him into Mr. Stovall's jon boat.
Cort tells him where the girls are and that they need an ambulance. Miraculously he and his father pilot the boat back to the mound where the girls are sheltering. By now, the girls are unconscious - Lisa is suffering from the snakebite and hypothermia and Francie is suffering from shock and hypothermia.
The mound is still being patrolled by the wild pig, Rusty and he has no intentions of allowing Cort to rescue the girls. He and his father have no weapons to use against Rusty. But his dad comes up with the crazy idea of lassoing Rusty. He manages to get a rope around him and holds him against the boat. The pig is huge and this is no easy task.
Cort rushes to the trees and tries to rescue the girls, but they are of little help being barely conscious. Rusty breaks the rope and lunges at them. They are circling the base of the tree barely escaping his attacks when a dark blur lands on Rusty. It is a black bear that also sought shelter in a nearby tree. Francie had been hysterical when they first spotted him, but shortly afterwards named him Elmo.
Elmo and Rusty had also been bitten by snakes. In Elmo's case it seemed to be weakening him - in Rusty's case it seemed to fill him with rage and a determination to destroy. Elmo and Rusty are embroiled in a battle of tusks, teeth and claws and they are fighting this in between the tree and the boat. Just when they are sure that the weakening Elmo is going to lose the battle he manages to fatally wound Rusty.
Francie wants to take Elmo with them, but Cort assures her that he will be fine. He knows this isn't true because he has seen that Elmo is dying along with Rusty. He marvels at the bear's apparent intentional rescue, but hurries the girls into the boat with his father.
Despite warnings that no help would be given to folks who refused to evacuate, an ambulance does manage to get close to the river and Cort and the girls are taken to a hospital. The worst injuries were suffered by Lisa and repairing the damage to her leg requires extensive hospitalization. Cort and Francie are released several days earlier.
The marina and the docks are completely trashed and repairs begin immediately. Cort's father realizes the damage his fixation with his wife caused and he assures Cort that he is ready to move forward. He tells Cort that they are going to stay on the Stovall land and build a proper house. He is going to make sure Cort can be play on the basketball team again. He had stopped because without his mother around he no longer had reliable transportation to and from practice.
Cort is happy. Catfish had showed up at the property while they were cleaning it up and was in great shape considering what he had undoubtedly undergone. The girls were home and healthy and he and Lisa were going to the fall dance. Both of them were happy to be staying in the area.
The books is extremely informative about river life. The supposition that the swamp animals would take refuge on the mound is not a fact, but it is certainly a reasonable presumption. Young readers will be swept into Cort's adventures.
Right now two things are distracting. One, Cort's mother and father have separated. Cort is angry with his mother and wants nothing to do with her. Cort's father can't accept that his wife is gone and spends long hours either at her new home or sitting outside her new home. He wants his wife to come back.
Cort is also distracted by upcoming reports of an approaching hurricane. Normally he and his father would work diligently to prepare for the violent storm. But, now, Cort's father is too busy worrying about Cort's mother and Cort can't do it all.
Cort and his father live on land (well technically they live on the water, but still) owned by the Stovall family. Mr. Stovall died and Cort and his father took on the task of caring for their property - a dock and marina - in exchange for free rent.
Lisa, her sister Francie and their mother are extremely generous with Cort and his father. Cort and Lisa attend school together and recently he has been viewing her as more than just a friend.
The night the hurricane is due to come to shore, preparations have been delayed by Cort's father's insistence on visiting his wife - who lives further inland. He says he is going to try and buy ice, but he is gone for hours and Cort is worried. Mrs. Stovall tells Cort she will drive over and bring Cort's father back with her.
However, the storm is worse than anticipated and they are unable to return due to flooding. Cort is frantic about being left in the home alone with the two girls and his dog. His father assures him he knows what to do and tells him he will be back tomorrow.
However, things get really scary really quickly when Francie is pulled onto Cort's houseboat by his dog, Catfish. Cort had been worried about how the houseboat was stabilized and when trying to get to Francie, it becomes unmoored and begins to drift down the river. Cort, Lisa, Francie and Catfish are at the mercy of the storm, the river and the debris it now contains.
Eventually they are able to get off the boat and are planning to move into the swamp and take cover on the top of the highest burial mound in the area. The burial mound at Bottle Creek. There are several ancient Indian burial mounds in their area and the one there is the highest and likely to stay dry despite the storm's violence.
After much difficult and almost an entire night of trudging they make it to the mounds. Then they realize that their terror has only just begun. They aren't the only ones seeking cover on the mound. And, the others aren't going to welcome them. Many of the animals from the swamp have also sought higher ground. They are going to have to work their way through a myriad of wild animals (including small harmless ones and large predators) to seek shelter on the mound.
As they approach they realize just how precarious this plan will be. Fortunately there is a tree on the mound that they are able to climb. They get up the tree just in time, because a wild boar is on a rampage and he wants them to be his next victims. Cort is last into the tree and he suffers a wound on his thigh from the pig's tusk.
The pig continues to rampage on the ground and Cort realizes that many of the snakes from the swamp are also in the trees. The worst of these is the cottonmouth. He removes as many as he can with a spear he has constructed from a tree limb and the glass of the compass. But he can't get them all and it is in the nature of a snake to bite. Lisa is bitten on her foot. Cort attempts to remove the poison from the wound, but he knows some remains and he knows how damaging such a bite can be.
He resolves to leave the tree and find help. He manages this by jumping from tree to tree until he is far enough away from the mound (and out of trees) to jump into the water. The pig has been tracking him the entire time, but once he is in the deep water the pig stops following.
Cort makes it almost all the way but realizes he cannot manage to cross the turbulent river. He is ready to give up, but he can't desert the girls. He manages to balance himself on top of a passing refrigerator and is lying there spent, when he thinks he hears his father. He believes he is delirious until his father shows up and pulls him into Mr. Stovall's jon boat.
Cort tells him where the girls are and that they need an ambulance. Miraculously he and his father pilot the boat back to the mound where the girls are sheltering. By now, the girls are unconscious - Lisa is suffering from the snakebite and hypothermia and Francie is suffering from shock and hypothermia.
The mound is still being patrolled by the wild pig, Rusty and he has no intentions of allowing Cort to rescue the girls. He and his father have no weapons to use against Rusty. But his dad comes up with the crazy idea of lassoing Rusty. He manages to get a rope around him and holds him against the boat. The pig is huge and this is no easy task.
Cort rushes to the trees and tries to rescue the girls, but they are of little help being barely conscious. Rusty breaks the rope and lunges at them. They are circling the base of the tree barely escaping his attacks when a dark blur lands on Rusty. It is a black bear that also sought shelter in a nearby tree. Francie had been hysterical when they first spotted him, but shortly afterwards named him Elmo.
Elmo and Rusty had also been bitten by snakes. In Elmo's case it seemed to be weakening him - in Rusty's case it seemed to fill him with rage and a determination to destroy. Elmo and Rusty are embroiled in a battle of tusks, teeth and claws and they are fighting this in between the tree and the boat. Just when they are sure that the weakening Elmo is going to lose the battle he manages to fatally wound Rusty.
Francie wants to take Elmo with them, but Cort assures her that he will be fine. He knows this isn't true because he has seen that Elmo is dying along with Rusty. He marvels at the bear's apparent intentional rescue, but hurries the girls into the boat with his father.
Despite warnings that no help would be given to folks who refused to evacuate, an ambulance does manage to get close to the river and Cort and the girls are taken to a hospital. The worst injuries were suffered by Lisa and repairing the damage to her leg requires extensive hospitalization. Cort and Francie are released several days earlier.
The marina and the docks are completely trashed and repairs begin immediately. Cort's father realizes the damage his fixation with his wife caused and he assures Cort that he is ready to move forward. He tells Cort that they are going to stay on the Stovall land and build a proper house. He is going to make sure Cort can be play on the basketball team again. He had stopped because without his mother around he no longer had reliable transportation to and from practice.
Cort is happy. Catfish had showed up at the property while they were cleaning it up and was in great shape considering what he had undoubtedly undergone. The girls were home and healthy and he and Lisa were going to the fall dance. Both of them were happy to be staying in the area.
The books is extremely informative about river life. The supposition that the swamp animals would take refuge on the mound is not a fact, but it is certainly a reasonable presumption. Young readers will be swept into Cort's adventures.
October 4, 2025
T W O S T A R S
Age rating: 11+, has some minor violence, touches on topics of divorce and not having a parent around, has some semi gory description(ex: A bloody soup below me)
Review summary(for those with short attention spans):
The book had some good story parts but was overall very boring only one or two chapters
I was able to read through and I enjoyed. It's good if you like survival in a remote location type stuff. The first like 15 chapters are them getting ready for the hurricane and background info.
In depth review:
Characters - ☆
The main characters were very run of them mill. It reminded me of other characters and the part where he wants Liza to like him is really stereotypical. They didn't make me smile or cry, they could have used a bit more not run of the mill background.
Description - ☆☆☆
The description was the BEST part and that's saying a lot because it's only 3 stars. The description was sort of strong lacking in some areas and too much in others. Sometimes it kind of made me imagine it other times it didn't.
Setting/Plot - ☆☆
I mean the setting made it what it was that's the only reason I'm giving it two stars. It made the story make sense I guess. It was literally the only thing that made it even a bit interesting. The plot was mostly exposition a big chunk of rising action that wasn't very good and THE SMALLEST PART OF CLIMAX I HAVE EVER SEEN.
Theme -
Okay like the theme is always be prepared and whatever but HOW. I mean like I see it in the story it's just did we need 218 pages to get to that? Did we? It could've been done in 130.
Final verdict:
Never reading again. Boring, non-original.
Age rating: 11+, has some minor violence, touches on topics of divorce and not having a parent around, has some semi gory description(ex: A bloody soup below me)
Review summary(for those with short attention spans):
The book had some good story parts but was overall very boring only one or two chapters
I was able to read through and I enjoyed. It's good if you like survival in a remote location type stuff. The first like 15 chapters are them getting ready for the hurricane and background info.
In depth review:
Characters - ☆
The main characters were very run of them mill. It reminded me of other characters and the part where he wants Liza to like him is really stereotypical. They didn't make me smile or cry, they could have used a bit more not run of the mill background.
Description - ☆☆☆
The description was the BEST part and that's saying a lot because it's only 3 stars. The description was sort of strong lacking in some areas and too much in others. Sometimes it kind of made me imagine it other times it didn't.
Setting/Plot - ☆☆
I mean the setting made it what it was that's the only reason I'm giving it two stars. It made the story make sense I guess. It was literally the only thing that made it even a bit interesting. The plot was mostly exposition a big chunk of rising action that wasn't very good and THE SMALLEST PART OF CLIMAX I HAVE EVER SEEN.
Theme -
Okay like the theme is always be prepared and whatever but HOW. I mean like I see it in the story it's just did we need 218 pages to get to that? Did we? It could've been done in 130.
Final verdict:
Never reading again. Boring, non-original.
February 6, 2017
Watt Key has written a nail-biting survival story with Terror at Bottle Creek. I flew through the book in a day because I had to know what happened to Cort, Liza, and Francie. Cort lives with his father along a creek in southern Alabama and a hurricane is on the way. As Cort and his father prepare for the storm, Cort wants his father to stop visiting his mother who left them some months before. He also thinks about Liza and asking her to an upcoming dance. But once the storm hits and Cort and the girls end up alone, survival takes priority. When Francie gets dragged out into the storm by Cort's dog and ends up stranded on Cort's family's houseboat, he can't leave her there, so he and Liza take his father's boat and go after her. They end up stranded in the bayou with no shelter and rising floodwaters as well as rain and wind. As they head for higher ground, Cort worries about how he can keep himself and the girls alive, especially once it becomes evident that many animals are heading to the same high ground. Key does a fabulous job creating a powerful story of courage and determination as well as friendship and family. I thoroughly enjoyed this as a story of survival as well as growing up and carrying on in the face of seemingly impossible odds. This is a great book to give to children who enjoyed Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
November 26, 2017
3.5. stars. This was actually a pretty enjoyable survival tale. Adventure and survival is usually not my cup of tea when it comes to YA, but I enjoyed this "survive the swamp" story as opposed to the usual "survive the woods". There is a lot of action and terrifying moments that keep you turning the pages, though the characters are a little under-developed for my tastes. Definitely something I can recommend to my students.
November 4, 2017
I have this book in my classroom library. This is a great book for teens / young readers who are looking for a gripping adventure story. The chapters are short, which I find many of my students really like. The dialogue is good and the descriptive writing makes the visuals pop. This book was hard to put down. I'll definitely be recommending this one to my students.
May 29, 2018
3.5 stars really. It is a super adventurous book. I had a hard time wrapping my head around all the astounding things that happen and the truly terrifying situation the kids find themselves. Having survived several devastating floods and having waded through waters that held unspeakable horrors including snakes and other unmentionables, the book was not a comfortable read. BUT it is very well written and chock full of adventure and excitement for anyone who wants a fast paced quick read.
April 24, 2017
Great book, lots of detail, I liked it.
May 11, 2018
Its a good book with a good story line and charecters if you like survival books like hatchet this is the book for you
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October 9, 2019You always wanted to know what was going to happen to them. After they climbed the tree, the story could really have gone anywhere and it would have made sence.
September 8, 2022
It is a really good book. It had so much things happening at once which makes you think whether something bad is going to happen due to Hurricane Igor being a categorize at level three. Also i really liked Cort because he really did everything he could during the hurricane.
May 29, 2025
A great children's book that takes place in South Alabama. Great for kids in upper elementary school!
October 30, 2017
This is a great book! Suspenseful and engaging, stimulating and realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
April 14, 2019
3.5 stars
December 29, 2017
Not my usual kind of book, but it was very exciting and kept me turning the pages!
March 26, 2018
I read the book Terror at Bottle Creek by Watt Key. I relly liked the book. This book was given a four star rating by me. I thought it was very good and heres some reasons why.
The author was very descriptive throughout the whole book which was very nice. This made me know what was happening, putting a great picture in my mind. The book starts off a little bit slow, but there isn't really a long beginning. The book gets right in to the main idea of the hurricane. There was a lot going on in the book and it was a little hard to understand everything. There was only a couple parts that were confusing. There was loads of action throughout the whole book which really made me stick with the book and want to keep reading.
This book always had me guessing and I never could predict what would happen next. Overall it was a great book and I would reccomend it to anyone who likes books with some suspense and lots of action.
The author was very descriptive throughout the whole book which was very nice. This made me know what was happening, putting a great picture in my mind. The book starts off a little bit slow, but there isn't really a long beginning. The book gets right in to the main idea of the hurricane. There was a lot going on in the book and it was a little hard to understand everything. There was only a couple parts that were confusing. There was loads of action throughout the whole book which really made me stick with the book and want to keep reading.
This book always had me guessing and I never could predict what would happen next. Overall it was a great book and I would reccomend it to anyone who likes books with some suspense and lots of action.
June 6, 2017
I can see why a teenager would like this action-packed book, but I did not like it at all.
Cort is a thirteen year old who lives with his father in lower Alabama. His father is an expert on all things that crawl, swim and walk near the swamps near their area. His mother recently left them because she hates living on a house boat and everything that involves the swampy area in Alabama. A Category 3 storm hits lower Alabama and Cort's father is in town. Cort is with his neighbor friend, Liza, and her little sister, Francie. All three end up outside in the middle of the storm and get swept away. They are battling a flooding river, alligators, snakes, boars, hypothermia, and not drowning.
This story is supposed to be a realistic fiction novel which I don't believe for one second. Cort would constantly make his way out of these deadly situations like swimming right past 4 alligators without one of them trying to get him. Cort would jump from tree to tree without falling. There was a part of the story where there were dozens of snakes in a tree along with the three kids, and only one had gotten bitten. Cort was able to fight the snakes off with a stick?! I don't believe it.
Another thing that bothered me was Cort would constantly be talking to his father out loud as if his father was dad. He would ask him for help and talk to him as if he was sitting right beside him. His father was in town, in safety. Cort's father finds him floating along in the flooded water right before he gives up (of course). We are talking about these two people being out in the middle of a HUGE storm which is hitting hundreds of miles and his father somehow happens to stumble upon him?! Please.
I just thought the book was very unrealistic. I'm not saying I wish all three kids died, but I wish it was written in a way where I could have thought the end outcome would have more than a 1% chance of actually happening.
Cort is a thirteen year old who lives with his father in lower Alabama. His father is an expert on all things that crawl, swim and walk near the swamps near their area. His mother recently left them because she hates living on a house boat and everything that involves the swampy area in Alabama. A Category 3 storm hits lower Alabama and Cort's father is in town. Cort is with his neighbor friend, Liza, and her little sister, Francie. All three end up outside in the middle of the storm and get swept away. They are battling a flooding river, alligators, snakes, boars, hypothermia, and not drowning.
This story is supposed to be a realistic fiction novel which I don't believe for one second. Cort would constantly make his way out of these deadly situations like swimming right past 4 alligators without one of them trying to get him. Cort would jump from tree to tree without falling. There was a part of the story where there were dozens of snakes in a tree along with the three kids, and only one had gotten bitten. Cort was able to fight the snakes off with a stick?! I don't believe it.
Another thing that bothered me was Cort would constantly be talking to his father out loud as if his father was dad. He would ask him for help and talk to him as if he was sitting right beside him. His father was in town, in safety. Cort's father finds him floating along in the flooded water right before he gives up (of course). We are talking about these two people being out in the middle of a HUGE storm which is hitting hundreds of miles and his father somehow happens to stumble upon him?! Please.
I just thought the book was very unrealistic. I'm not saying I wish all three kids died, but I wish it was written in a way where I could have thought the end outcome would have more than a 1% chance of actually happening.
May 6, 2016
The story: Cort's life is kind of a mess: his parents have split up, and he can't figure why his dad keeps trying to win back his no-account wife. Cort and his dad are slumming it, living in a houseboat so his dad can work the river as a guide--but this just means Cort can't play school ball, can't hang out with the guys, can't even ask his next-door neighbor, Liza out on a date. It's only when Igor, a monster hurricane with an apt name, shows up that Cort finally realizes what's important after all: getting out alive, and making sure Liza and Francie make it too. They're on their own, and it's all on him.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG (unless you count violent natural disasters!); Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (lackluster parenting, poor parental choices) PG; overall rating PG.
Liz's comments: This was a high-octane adventure story that will really appeal to boys who like the man-versus-nature genre of book. Fast storytelling, simple structure--perfect for MS readers, reluctant or not.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG (unless you count violent natural disasters!); Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (lackluster parenting, poor parental choices) PG; overall rating PG.
Liz's comments: This was a high-octane adventure story that will really appeal to boys who like the man-versus-nature genre of book. Fast storytelling, simple structure--perfect for MS readers, reluctant or not.
July 10, 2017
Interesting story about a boy and his two neighbor friends (both girls) who end up having to survive a hurricane on their own, out in the swamp. Some parts were good, and the story was definitely compelling enough to keep me reading, but I felt like there were a lot of problems:
The premise for getting rid of the parents and getting the kids out into the swamp was a little hard to believe.
There were nautical and survival terms that were not explained, either in the course of the story or in an author's note.
The behavior of the wild animals: the author said in a note that he tried to be realistic, but also that he hadn't ever observed the behavior himself. So is it believeable or not? (Especially the bear.)
Those were my main issues, but I don't think it will take away from enjoyment by kids--especially with snakes, wild hogs, and major flooding to contend with!
The premise for getting rid of the parents and getting the kids out into the swamp was a little hard to believe.
There were nautical and survival terms that were not explained, either in the course of the story or in an author's note.
The behavior of the wild animals: the author said in a note that he tried to be realistic, but also that he hadn't ever observed the behavior himself. So is it believeable or not? (Especially the bear.)
Those were my main issues, but I don't think it will take away from enjoyment by kids--especially with snakes, wild hogs, and major flooding to contend with!
October 18, 2015
With non-stop action, fans of the I Survived series will love this dramatic tale. When a hurricane hits Cort, his neighbor Liza, and her sister Francine find themselves in a battle against the elements to survive. Set in an Alabama bayou, the kids must survive raging frigid floodwaters, venomous snakes, wild boars, and a bear.
This book is quick-paced and vivid. The characters are believable and are teens with whom YA readers can identify. Definitely a must have for middle school libraries.
This book is quick-paced and vivid. The characters are believable and are teens with whom YA readers can identify. Definitely a must have for middle school libraries.
June 24, 2016
Great book for 4-7 graders (or high reading level 3rd). Realistic without being super graphic or gritty, the novel depicts the dangers of hurricanes and the related consequences of flooding. The survival techniques used are not beyond the age of the characters. Characters are nicely developed and likable. Plot moves very quickly and pulls the reader into the action.
February 2, 2017
Intense! Action-packed drama. I would pair this book with those who enjoyed Hatchet, The Skeleton Tree, Zane and the Hurricane, or On the Run. It is going to be a hard book to keep on the shelves in 4th grade classrooms and up.
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