When We Were Lost

April 15, 2019
A group of students survive a catastrophic plane crash only to be stranded deep in the Amazon. Seventeen-year-old Tom Calloway, who is not much of a joiner, is on his way to Costa Rica for a two-week field trip at his guardian's insistence. To their horror, after violent turbulence turns out to be the plane shearing in half as it crashes, only Tom and 18 other students survive out of all the passengers. Now comes the hard part: Having flown for several extra hours on a different course in what seems to be an intentional pilot deviation from the route, the teens are now isolated in the sweltering jungle with little hope of rescue. To survive the heat and predators, the group will have to rely on their skills and each other--easier said than done when insecurities and stubbornness become lethal. Wignall (Blood, 2018, etc.) doesn't quite deliver on a promising concept here. The tried-and-true tropes of survival narratives along with empowering teen expertise are featured well; questions and consequences of leadership vs. collaboration play out effectively if a little ham-handedly. Things fall apart with the clumsier contrivances, like the recycling of Final Destination plot points, the utter lack of development around the characters' experience of trauma that crashes just about any suspension of disbelief, and some action-over-quality scenes. South American drug runners and a single black student are the extent of diversity among the cast. Marginal. (Adventure. 14-18)

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April 29, 2019
Seventeen-year-old loner Tom Calloway, an orphan, has no desire to fly to Costa Rica for a school-sponsored environmental research trip, but the dates align with his flaky guardian’s yoga retreat, so Tom reluctantly signs on. Their plane crashes in the jungle, killing everyone aboard except for Tom and 18 of his classmates. Politician’s son Joel Aspinall takes charge, ordering the group to stay put, but Tom doubts a timely rescue; they should have landed hours before the crash, which, he believes, means the pilot likely disabled the transponders and flew off course. As resources dwindle and illness and animal attacks claim additional lives, the teens debate a hike toward civilization. But with tensions rising and factions forming, the wilderness isn’t the only obstacle to their continued survival. Wignall (the Mercian Trilogy) fully exploits the setting of his adrenaline-fueled adventure, which meditates on fate while exploring the effects of adversity and grief. The setup is a bit unoriginal, and the kids’ knowledge and skills occasionally strain credulity, but nuanced character interactions help ground the action-studded plot. Ages 14–up. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider/
ICM Partners.