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Survivor Diaries
Dust Storm!
Stay calm. Stay smart. Survive.
Stranded after a dust storm hits in a desert in New Mexico, sixth-graders Jen and Martin must call upon real-life skills to come to the rescue. When disaster strikes, they will have to use all their knowledge and grit to survive.
Stranded after a dust storm hits in a desert in New Mexico, sixth-graders Jen and Martin must call upon real-life skills to come to the rescue. When disaster strikes, they will have to use all their knowledge and grit to survive.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2018
About the author
Terry Lynn Johnson
12 books338 followersTerry Lynn Johnson writes outdoor adventures inspired by her own team of eighteen Alaskan huskies. Her passion for adventure has provided her with a rich background to write from.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 16, 2020
This is the first Survival Diaries book I have read (but not the first book by this author). I really, really liked this. This is a great book for many reasons. First, this will grab the attention of students right off the bat, which I have found, is one of the few reasons kids will stick with a book these days. Second, it is short enough not to scare away the young reader. Third, it is packed with action and excitement. I learned a lot about surviving in the desert. I hope I never have to be stuck in a desert but now I know a few tips to help me. I liked the author's note at the end of the book as well. I plan to read the other books in this series now and be able to recommend this to the students at school.
February 27, 2019
Survivor Diaries: Dust Storm! by Terry Lynn Johnson, 119 pages. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $10
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Two sixth graders are on a school geocaching trip when one of them slips out of the van and starts heading into the desert to get a head start. The other follows and they are soon taken over by a dust storm. The dust storm disorients them and they must find their way out of the desert.
This book delivers what it claims - a simple survival story without a lot of extras. The writing is kind of bland but they story is captivating. There is also a friendship lesson in the story of survival as the two friends explore why they have recently grown apart.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Two sixth graders are on a school geocaching trip when one of them slips out of the van and starts heading into the desert to get a head start. The other follows and they are soon taken over by a dust storm. The dust storm disorients them and they must find their way out of the desert.
This book delivers what it claims - a simple survival story without a lot of extras. The writing is kind of bland but they story is captivating. There is also a friendship lesson in the story of survival as the two friends explore why they have recently grown apart.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
February 7, 2019
The last and final book in the Survivor Diaries was a great book. Thank you Terry Lynn Johnson for writing another great series.
January 26, 2019
“The desert is a little like friendship. It can be dangerous—everything has spines or teeth to hurt and bite — but it is vibrant and makes you feel alive. It was worth the trouble.”
It starts with a really bad choice. A group of students are headed to the Chihuahuan Desert for Snake Byte, a geocaching activity. Jen and Martin, former friends now, for some reason, mortal enemies are part of the group. When the bus gets stuck in a rut, Mr. Lee, the club sponsor, tells them all to stay put with Mrs Sloan while he goes up the road a bit to make contact with the other geocacher clubs. Everyone hustles off the bus to help set up a shade tarp, except Martin. Jen sees him messing with Mr. Lee’s briefcase. Is he looking for the Geocache coordinates so he can cheat?
Out of the vision of the chaperone, Martin grabs his bike and takes off. Jen follows. When she catches up to Martin, her suspicions are proven accurate. “This first cache isn’t far from here! It says it’s only point five miles that way.”
But before they can even argue about cheating, a violent wind brings a huge dust storm. They jump on their bikes to try to outrun it and Jen feels herself go over a cliff. She is barely able to see or hear anything until the dust storm passes. That’s when they find out they’ve been chased into an arroyo, the most dangerous place to be following a dust storm, because generally a thunderstorm follows and floods the arroyo. But which way do they go? Their bikes are basically unusable, including the GPS. They don’t have any water or food. Can these two former friends trust each other enough to make the decisions they need to make to be safe?
Another good addition to this series.
It starts with a really bad choice. A group of students are headed to the Chihuahuan Desert for Snake Byte, a geocaching activity. Jen and Martin, former friends now, for some reason, mortal enemies are part of the group. When the bus gets stuck in a rut, Mr. Lee, the club sponsor, tells them all to stay put with Mrs Sloan while he goes up the road a bit to make contact with the other geocacher clubs. Everyone hustles off the bus to help set up a shade tarp, except Martin. Jen sees him messing with Mr. Lee’s briefcase. Is he looking for the Geocache coordinates so he can cheat?
Out of the vision of the chaperone, Martin grabs his bike and takes off. Jen follows. When she catches up to Martin, her suspicions are proven accurate. “This first cache isn’t far from here! It says it’s only point five miles that way.”
But before they can even argue about cheating, a violent wind brings a huge dust storm. They jump on their bikes to try to outrun it and Jen feels herself go over a cliff. She is barely able to see or hear anything until the dust storm passes. That’s when they find out they’ve been chased into an arroyo, the most dangerous place to be following a dust storm, because generally a thunderstorm follows and floods the arroyo. But which way do they go? Their bikes are basically unusable, including the GPS. They don’t have any water or food. Can these two former friends trust each other enough to make the decisions they need to make to be safe?
Another good addition to this series.
August 22, 2019
In this fourth book in the Survivor Diaries series, Jen and Martin leave the geocaching group they are with in an effort to get to the cache first. But when they get caught in a sandstorm they become lost and disoriented. The fact that they used to be friends and aren't any more doesn't help them work together, especially when Jen senses Martin's competitiveness. But in order to survive long enough to get help, they must put their differences aside and work together to survive. This series makes for an action-packed adventure for young middle grade readers who like stories that move along quickly. Johnson does a great job of establishing the setting and situation quickly by starting the story with the main character being interviewed by a reporter. Not only is the book an entertaining read, but there are survival tips from the New Mexico Search and Rescue Council included to help young readers understand what the characters did right and wrong on their adventure. A fun series for young survivalists.
October 26, 2019
Fast paced adventure in the desert! Love this series
May 2, 2024
Why I chose this book: We polled families in our library family book club, and this title won. We put it on the list to include a shorter title and to pick something a little different than our usual cozier books with animal characters.
Brief summary: Jen and Martin are in a Geocache club in their school. They get overeager to find a clue and get separated from their group in the desert. What will happen to them out in the desert all alone? How will they survive?
What I didn't like about this book: There isn't anything that I didn't especially like, but it's definitely a book with an aim to teach something. The story doesn't suffer as a result; the author still crafts an engaging plot, but I guess the character development is a little lacking, which is largely due to the type of story and its length, so I don't fault the book so much, it's just not exactly my taste.
What I like about this book: I like that the author highlights the fractured friendship between Jen and Martin; this isn't a huge focus of the book, but the two do have to learn to work together to survive. I like that Jen and Martin have different strengths that help them survive in the desert.
Brief summary: Jen and Martin are in a Geocache club in their school. They get overeager to find a clue and get separated from their group in the desert. What will happen to them out in the desert all alone? How will they survive?
What I didn't like about this book: There isn't anything that I didn't especially like, but it's definitely a book with an aim to teach something. The story doesn't suffer as a result; the author still crafts an engaging plot, but I guess the character development is a little lacking, which is largely due to the type of story and its length, so I don't fault the book so much, it's just not exactly my taste.
What I like about this book: I like that the author highlights the fractured friendship between Jen and Martin; this isn't a huge focus of the book, but the two do have to learn to work together to survive. I like that Jen and Martin have different strengths that help them survive in the desert.
December 12, 2018
This book was pretty good. I can totally see using this as a springboard to get kids interested in learning and reading about survival. The story was too full of convenient timings to be anything great, but it was good enough to get kids interested.
I'd still prefer to read and use Hatchet.
I'd still prefer to read and use Hatchet.
Read
December 5, 2022This book was very good. my favorite character was jen because of how she came up with ideas to get out of the desert. My least favorite was jen's dad because after she was in the desert stranded he still grounded her. My favorite event was when they found a camel and the camel brought them to water, it was cool like they had a savior.the writing style was realy easy to read because it was big letters. The novel went by fast but the author made it easy to follow along and keep on track. i made connections because when i'm in a bad situation i always figure out a solution.
December 10, 2024
I love survival stories, so I picked up this middle grade one. It’s a quick read with a fast paced story which I think will appeal to the writer’s audience.
I loved what Jen told the reporter, that it was working together that helped them to survive. Both Jen and Martin brought different skill sets to the situation, which were complementary. I liked how they were able to get past their issues and work together, and even take care of each other like how Martin gave his shirt to Jen to keep the sun off her head. The burro was a cute addition!
I loved what Jen told the reporter, that it was working together that helped them to survive. Both Jen and Martin brought different skill sets to the situation, which were complementary. I liked how they were able to get past their issues and work together, and even take care of each other like how Martin gave his shirt to Jen to keep the sun off her head. The burro was a cute addition!
December 15, 2023
Still loving this series. This entry explores a very different landscape in the desert and also some new learning and relationship challenges for the kids involved. The kids in this one made more bad decisions than in other books in this series and also benefited a little more from luck, but I think luck might play a part in any survival situation so this did not bother me overly much.
January 9, 2019
Do not panic! Again, do not panic! That’s the best advice to anyone caught in an emergency, such as getting caught in a dust storm.
In this volume of the “Survivor Diaries”, the story is told as sixth-grader Jen describes her experience to a reporter. She and competitive classmate Martin learn that their personal strengths can be used together to increase their chances of survival, and that their personal weaknesses need not be hidden or be ashamed of. They also learn to accept each other’s differences.
Back matter is full of useful information: actual survival strategies from the New Mexico Search and Rescue, list of wilderness travel essentials, and author information that lends authenticity to the series.
There’s are online games that parallel each book in the series, and if the player makes all the “right’ choices, s/he survives.
Occasional illustrations in grayscale hint at the reduced visibility one would experience in a dust storm.
This lacks the realistic details of Paulsen’s “Hatchet” or Tarshis’ “I Survived” series, but could be an additional purchase for survival fans who are younger or less experienced readers.
In this volume of the “Survivor Diaries”, the story is told as sixth-grader Jen describes her experience to a reporter. She and competitive classmate Martin learn that their personal strengths can be used together to increase their chances of survival, and that their personal weaknesses need not be hidden or be ashamed of. They also learn to accept each other’s differences.
Back matter is full of useful information: actual survival strategies from the New Mexico Search and Rescue, list of wilderness travel essentials, and author information that lends authenticity to the series.
There’s are online games that parallel each book in the series, and if the player makes all the “right’ choices, s/he survives.
Occasional illustrations in grayscale hint at the reduced visibility one would experience in a dust storm.
This lacks the realistic details of Paulsen’s “Hatchet” or Tarshis’ “I Survived” series, but could be an additional purchase for survival fans who are younger or less experienced readers.
November 28, 2019
This was a quick story. I liked the survival tips. I thought the characters were good, but I wish there was a little more development. The story seemed rushed.
CA
CA
January 13, 2021
I read this beginning chapter book with my 6 year old. It's a good story. If your kids like I survived, this is similar. There is a chapter at the end that talks about survival.
September 28, 2023
Wonderful adventure series from a REAL survival expert.
March 22, 2025
Not bad. Exciting story, and it has some good survival tips. However, as somebody who has lived in this area, I did find myself raising an eyebrow at quite a few of the setting details.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews