Stranded

Stranded, written by Jeff Probst and coauthored by Chris Tebbetts, was published in 2013 and is the first novel in the three-book Stranded series. A middle-grade survival/adventure novel, it focuses on four young protagonists who become stranded and attempt to survive on a deserted island. The book centers on themes relating to courage, family, and team building.

Probst is the host of the reality series Survivor, which began airing in 2000 and is currently in its 47th season. He has traveled to the world’s most remote locations and has firsthand knowledge of surviving in such places.

This guide uses the 2013 Puffin Books edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

Eleven-year-old Carter Benson and his nine-year-old sister Jane are on a sailing trip in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii with their Uncle Dexter (Dex) and their new step-siblings, Vanessa (who is 13) and Buzz (who is 11). Their parents are on their honeymoon and hope that the trip will bring the new siblings closer together. Carter is adventurous and a natural leader, while Buzz is initially anxious and scared. Vanessa is a technical wizard, and Jane is adept at using what she knows to get results.

As the story begins, a storm approaches and quickly worsens, prompting Dex to instruct all four children to stay below deck. Jane starts documenting the storm on her video camera (a continuing project for school) and tries not to act scared. Vanessa, however, fears the worst and uses the satellite phone to call her dad. She talks to him only for a moment before the boat crashes into a coral reef and is struck by lightning. The boat starts to flood, and everyone evacuates the cabin.

Dex and his first mate, Joe, set up the life raft, and Joe dives into the sea to keep it in place. Dex ties a rope to his waist and tosses the other end to Joe, but just before he starts loading the children onto the raft, Dex is swept out to sea with Joe and the life raft. The children are left alone. When the mast breaks, Vanessa’s safety line comes loose, but Carter catches her before she falls off into the sea. The four children gather on the boat’s stairwell to take stock of their situation.

The boat has crashed into some rocks that surround a small round island. Carter notices a cliff face directly ahead, and a beach and jungle to the left. Jane discovers that the radio is soaked, and the boat’s engine is smashed. Vanessa gets the satellite phone to work, but because the children don’t know where they are, their short conversation with the Coast Guard and their parents does little to help them. Then, the satellite phone battery dies.

The group decides to look for Dex and Joe but locates a jug of water first, and each takes a drink. They scan the beach but see no sign of Dex or Joe. Carter suggests climbing the nearby slope to the top so they can get a better view of everything, and the others decide to follow him. A gorge prevents easy passage to the highest point, so Carter finds a fallen tree that stretches across the gap, and they all cross safely. Buzz leads them in building a signal fire, which they leave burning at the top of the island.

When they return to the boat, Carter discovers that the water jug leaked while they were gone. Frustrated and angry, he runs into the jungle but quickly returns when he hears a strange snorting in the trees.

The next morning, Jane starts filming the surrounding area and naming things after her siblings. Vanessa calls a family meeting, and the group decides to split up: Carter and Jane look for fresh water, and Vanessa and Buzz try to fix the boat’s solar panel.

Carter and Jane walk for what seems like hours and eventually come across a waterfall. When Carter attempts to cross a rapidly running river between them and the lagoon below the waterfall, the current instantly sweeps him away. He nearly drowns, but Jane follows him into the water anyway, and soon the two manage to connect arms and get to shore.

Meanwhile, Vanessa reconnects the wires on the solar panel, but the cloudy weather prevents her from testing it. Afterward, she decides to study the maps to see if she can figure out where the island is. As rain begins to fall, Buzz suggests using the sail to collect rainwater.

Carter and Jane huddle together on the beach near the fall, trapped for the night. The next morning, the river is much safer due to the low tide, and they enjoy the fresh water of the falls. Jane notices a cave entrance where the water comes out and wonders if it might be a shortcut back to the boat. She and Carter decide to investigate, and Jane leads the way through the dark cave with the dim light of her video camera. On the other side, Buzz and Vanessa hear their voices and guide them out of the cave to safety.

Everyone is relieved to see each other alive and safe. Jane studies the maps and Uncle Dexter’s captain’s log after dinner and determines the island’s approximate location. That night, the ocean swells, and the rocking of the boat as it begins to flood startles Vanessa awake. She wakes the others, and they grab what they can before rushing out of the cabin and onto the shore. They watch as the boat is taken back out to sea with most of their supplies on board. All they have left is each other.

In Kona, Hawaii, Uncle Dex and Joe are found after four days on the raft. They begin searching for the children and the island.