A Map for Wrecked Girls

Gr 9 Up—Emma and Henri are barely speaking, their once seemingly unbreakable sisterhood bond destroyed. When they, along with a mysterious stranger, wash up post-shipwreck on a beach, their troubled relationship is put to the test in an extreme survival situation. Battling the elements for weeks in isolation, Henri struggles with her anger toward her sister while Emma slowly falls for their companion. Their dire circumstances put them at risk for certain death, and all three struggle to survive on the isolated island. Told in alternating time lines that slowly reveal what ruined the sisters' relationship, this is a solidly entertaining read. The present-day survival narrative is intense without being overwrought and the flashbacks help build suspense over what act drove the formerly inseparable girls apart. At once a story of sisterhood as well as a romance, the book is a unique glimpse at emotional and physical struggles. While some of the dynamic between the siblings is a bit stereotypical, the realistic, awful things they do to each other liven up the narrative.