Into the Rapids

Braden, Ann. Into the Rapids
May 13, 2025 by Nancy Paulsen Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Addy and her mother have kept to themselves in their somewhat remote home in the Green Mountains of Vermont ever since her father's death when she was a toddler. The two don't even interact with their nearest neighbors, the Tollands, even though the son, Caleb, goes to school with Addy. He hasn't been all that nice to her, calling her "batty Addy", and she doesn't have other friends. She is excited about going to  middle school at Windhaven Regional, which is a 40 minute trip. When a bad storm knocks out a nearby bridge as well as the power in the area, it makes things a bit difficult, although Addy and her mother are fairly well prepared. Addy is concerned that she won't be able to get to the school to participate in the Survival Camp, and since that's where her parents met, she really wants to go. Not only that, but she's been practicing the recommended survival skills, and wants to do really well. She keeps running into Caleb on a hill near their homes, since cell signals are hard to get. Keeping lines of communication open is important, since Addy's mother isn't doing well with the weather situation, especially since Addy's father died when the car the entire family was in got swept into a rain swollen river. Addy helps by texting Marcy, her mother's therapist, a letter her mother has written, and getting a response, which seems to help. The skills she's acquired helping her mom come in handy when Caleb has a panic attack. He's been obsessed with death, and since a neighbor, Ike Horvath, is missing in the flood, and his mother wants him to go to a high pressure private school, Caleb has been spiraling into fears about the shortness of life. The neighbors are pulling together to get supplies, and are even building an emergency bridge to get water to the community, but while Caleb and his family are in the thick of these plans, Addy and her mother are isolated and know nothing about them. When he finds out that Addy really wants to get to the survival camp, he plans an elaborate route for her to get there, which includes going with his firefighter father across the bridge, getting a ride from a woman who is visiting her sister, and canoeing part of the way. Her mother is doing well enough that she agrees that Addy can go. Since Addy has not canoed much (although she has practiced her skills on dry land), Caleb starts the trip with her. When she goes off on her own, it doesn't take long before Addy capsizes the canoe, is injured, and must use her survival skills to actually survive. In the  meantime, the entire community is looking for her, and her mother takes her predicament better than expected. When she returns, injured, her mother steps up to take care of her. Ike has been found dead, and Addy goes to the funeral. The community rallies around Addy and her mother, with Eileen the firefighter helping Addy's mother repair the generator and car, and encouraging her to attend the local Labor Day picnic. Addy's discussions about panic attacks helps Caleb talk to his mother about his fears, and she is okay with him not going to the private school, and even arranges therapy for him. Even though climate related extreme weather is an ongoing concern, Addy is glad to have finally connected with her community. 

Strengths: This is a quick read, and comes in at well under 200 pages, which is something a lot of middle grade gatekeepers have been requesting. Braden draws on her own experience of having been in a plane crash that killed her father, and having to navigate life under those circumstances to draw a nuanced portrait of Addy, who has cut herself off from her community as a way to cope. Caleb is a nice foil for her; he has more social skills, but fewer coping mechanisms, and the two help each other out quite a bit. It was good to see the community finally step up to help Addy and her mother. Survival stories are always popular, and readers who were enthralled by Richard's 15 Secrets to Survival, Philbrick's Wild River or Hashimoto's Off the Map will enjoy reading about Addy's ill fated canoe trip. 
Weaknesses: I wish there had been another reason that Addy took off in the canoe, rather than getting to survival camp. Given the horrible weather, I can't imagine her mother agreeing to let her go alone, since the mother didn't seem to have a cell phone of her own. As much as Addy wanted to go to camp, it also seemed like she wouldn't have wanted to leave her mother when she was in a fragile state. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are fans of Braden's work (The Benefits of Being an Octopus (2018), Flight of the Puffin (2021), Opinions and Opossums (2023) )or like survival stories with a foundation of grief or family and mental health issues like Rose's The Burning Season or Pla's The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn.