Overboard

This was an excellent book, both entertaining and frightening as a work of realistic fiction. When the main character, Emily, goes overboard after a boat crash on her way to visit her uncle. The story explores her quest to stay alive and allows students to think on the topic of survival and human interaction when the countless people are all struggling to live.

Book Review
Overboard by Elizabeth Fama
Fourteen-year old Emily Slake just wants 'a normal life'. She wants to return to the States to her old school and friends. For the last year and a half, Emily has been living in Aceh in northern Sumatra with her parents, who work there at a small hospital. Uncle Matt, who has arrived from Boston for a tour on the neighboring island of Weh, invites Emily to spend a few days with him. Emily boards a ferry to Weh, hoping that her Uncle will convince her parents to let her return with him to Boston. She boards an over-crowded ferry. When the boat sinks, she’s trapped by hundreds of panicked people. She finds Isman, a terrified young Muslim boy, floating in a life vest. Together, they swim for their show more lives.
Overboard is a very intense and exciting book and I was unable to put it down. I would recommend this book for both genders and probably over the age of 12. show less

Book Review:

Overboard by Elizabeth Fama:

The book Overboard takes place in an island below Thailand and Malaysia called Sumatra (Indonesia). Emily, the main character of the book, starts off explaining her life and how her family, her and her parents, move after every 2 years because her Mum and Dad, James and Olivia, have a job as voluntary Doctors. Emily was already upset at the time when her parents lose the life of a child in the hospital, this made things worse and Emily blames herself for the child’s death. Being extremely upset, she plans to temporarily run away and boards a ferry that is departing for a close island called Weh to see her visiting uncle. Little did she know that she was about to endure endless hours of pain, show more thirst, hunger and fear, stuck in between the two islands (Sumatra and Weh).

What I thought of Elizabeth Fama's book:

This book was well written and kept the character's personalities clear and simple for the reader to cope with who each person was. I find this is best because it keeps the reader captivated and the writing strong and exciting. Elizabeth kept me on my toes all the time from when Emily ran away until the book ended. She used descriptive language, so it didn't bore me (sometimes books include too many descriptive words so it get boring), so it gave the reader a good idea about what the character was feeling, what it must be like and so the reader felt they were there. Here are some examples: envied, desperate, blissfully, firmly, gripping, swollen, and sagging. I personally think that this book would suit readers of the age 9-16 because when older this book would not be as exciting as the reader would have most probably read a more exciting book and because the book is quite short so it would not take long to read. This book was extremely exciting, captivating and interesting. If there was a sequel I would definitely read it. I really enjoyed reading the Adventure genre because I like being kept captivated throughout the whole book. show less

Emily is not happy about being stuck with her parents in Indonesia instead of with her friends in the US. She thinks they work all the time and care about the kids in the hospital more than they do about her. She decides to leave town by ferry boat to meet her uncle on a nearby island. When the boat sinks, Emily is left to fight for her life in the dark water. An exciting survival book that will keep readers turning the pages.

Young girl, angry at her do-gooder parents, leaves Indonesian island to meet Uncle. Boat sinks and she must struggle to stay alive. Very unique story ... only a few characters but moves quickly.

Did not enjoy this book as much as the review said I would. In places I found it a bit slow.Emily runs away from her physician parents hospital in Sumatra. She ends up on a boat that sinks, and she escapes the drowning passengers and ends up with a terrified Muslim boy and they swim for their lives.

It was worth reading but not my favorite of Elizabeth Fama's work. I think this would be a great read for a young adult. I would recommend.