A Map for Wrecked Girls

June 12, 2017
Emma Jones, 16, has always lived in the shadow of her volatile older sister, Henri, who commands the spotlight. While the girls are on vacation in Puerto Rico, a boat accident strands them on an uninhabited island miles from their resort, along with Alex, a boy Emma met on the beach. With their lives at stake, Emma finds her own footing, working with Alex and making decisions to keep the three of them alive. But Henri withdraws, leaving Emma to wonder if her sister will ever forgive her for a past mistake. Taylor (Wandering Wild) weaves past with present to tell an unsettling story of two sisters whose relationship is claustrophobically close. As a survival story, it’s top-notch—readers will be riveted throughout the trio’s perilous time on the island. But despite the author’s descriptions of Henri’s magnetic appeal, she is so aggressively awful to her sister, both in their current predicament and in flashbacks, that it’s difficult to understand why Emma is so desperate for her approval, love, and friendship. Ages 14–up. Agent: Melissa Sarver White, Folio Literary Management.