Survivors (Stranded, Band 3) - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jeff Probst is the multi-Emmy award winning host and executive producer of the popular series Survivor. A native of Wichita, Kan., Probst is married and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and 2 children when not traveling the world.  He can be followed on twitter @jeffprobst and online at www.jeffprobst.com

Chris Tebbetts is the New York Times bestselling co-author of James Patterson's Middle School series. Originally from Yellow Spring, Ohio, Tebbetts is a graduate of Northwester University. He lives and writes in Vermont.

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Book 1:

Book 2:

Book 3:

Book 1: FORBIDDEN PASSAGE

Book 2: THE SABOTAGE

Book 3: DESPERATE MEASURES

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street

After the first Stranded was published in February 2013, I began to hear from lots of young readers eager to share their thoughts about Stranded and the characters and, most importantly, what they thought should happen next!

Several people who helped us get our story off the ground for Stranded Book 1 were kind enough to offer some additional help along the way. Thank you (again!) to our sailing expert Jill Kuramoto; teachers Angela Galyean and Paul Lasher, along with their wonderful students at Hinesburg Community School; the man behind the big bang, Kyle Jablonski; writing and critique partners Jan Donley, Barbara Gregorich, Vicki Hayes, Ruth Horowitz, and Joe Nusbaum; and all-around muse Jonathan Radigan.

Buzz Diaz looked over the edge. Straight down from where he stood, at the bottom of a hundred-foot cliff, ocean waves lapped at the rocky shoreline of Nowhere Island.

“We’re going to have to climb down,” Carter said.

“Tell me you’re joking!” Buzz shouted. The gusting wind forced them to yell even though they were standing close together.

“I’m not joking.”

“But this could kill us.”

“So could staying up here,” Jane chimed in.

“Yeah,” Carter agreed, “just a lot more slowly.”

Buzz could barely believe they were even having this conversation. The face of the wall they would have to descend was a straight drop. There were only a few places to stand and even fewer to hold on to. One slip and it was over. Nobody could survive that kind of a fall.

Ten minutes ago, they’d been this close to getting rescued. He, Carter, and Jane had screamed and waved like crazy as the plane passed over their little island. Buzz’s own screams echoed in his head now—STOP! STOP! HELP! PLEASE!—but none of it had done them any good.

The plane was gone. So was the tree bridge they’d crossed to get up here in the first place. It had fallen straight down into the ravine on the opposite side of Lookout Point, and had nearly taken Buzz with it. He was lucky to be alive.

But Buzz wasn’t feeling so lucky right now. His stomach swooped every time he looked down the cliff face, or out toward the endless Pacific Ocean that stretched away from the island. It was like looking at infinity from here.

“Are we sure this is the better way down?” he asked.

It wasn’t a real question. They’d been back and forth across Lookout Point a dozen times. As scary as it would be scaling the ocean-facing cliffs, every other option was even worse. At least on this side, the rock was stepped in a series of plateaus and ledges, as far down as Buzz could see.

“I say we go for it,” Carter announced. He nodded to Jane, the youngest of the group. “You ready?” he asked.

“I’m ready,” she replied.

Easy for them to say, Buzz thought. Carter was a total jock, and Jane had already proven herself to be a natural climber here on the island.

Not Buzz. He was a natural couch potato, as much as anything else. But none of that meant anything for him anymore. The only real question now was whether he’d rather die from falling a hundred feet or from starving to death on this barren tower of rock.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, barely believing the words as they came out of his own mouth. “Let’s get this over with.”

Carter could see how scared Jane and Buzz were. He was scared, too. Out of his mind. But so what? It didn’t change what they had to do.

“I’ll go first,” he said, and sat himself on the edge of the cliff.

He got no argument from the other two. Carter was the strongest. That was just a fact. If a week on Nowhere Island had taught them nothing else, it was how to face up to hard, cold facts.

It seemed like forever ago that their boat had crashed onto the shore, stranding them here. The storm responsible had also separated them from Uncle Dexter and his first mate on the Lucky Star, Joe Kahali. Whether those two were still out there in the South Pacific somewhere was impossible to know. Carter had been the last to see them, just before the waves and high winds tore their life raft away from the Lucky Star and they’d disappeared into the night.

Ever since that moment, it had been up to the kids to figure everything out for themselves.

How to make fire and shelter.

How to find food and water.

How to survive.

Carter looked down the cliff face. The next nearest ledge was maybe seven feet below him—a few feet more than his own body length. He and Buzz were the same age, eleven, but Carter was taller. For Buzz, and especially Jane, who was tiny for a nine-year-old, the drop would feel even farther.

As he started to inch himself off the edge, Jane stepped forward and grabbed onto the ragged T-shirt Carter had been wearing for the last week.

“Be careful,” she said.

“I’m always careful,” Carter said, and grinned at his little sister. It was funny, only because they both knew it wasn’t true. Nowhere Island was not a place where you could survive by being careful. You had to take some chances.

Before he could lose his nerve, Carter turned around and eased himself the rest of the way over the lip of the cliff. Pulse racing, and wind whipping in his ears, he lowered his body until he was hanging with arms fully extended. The outcropping he wanted to reach was still a foot or more down. It wasn’t far, but if he missed, it was going to be a long drop to the bottom.

This was the moment of truth. He checked the distance to the ledge under his feet one more time. Took a breath. And let go.

Gravity took care of the rest. His palms scraped over the cliff wall, and the gash on his right hand from the day before lit up with a hot flash of pain. Still, it was nothing compared to the rush of the quick drop. With a jolt, he landed on the narrow piece of rock. His whole body shuddered as he found his balance, and he pressed himself into the wall as close as he could get.

Carter didn’t even try to catch his breath. That would have to come later. A quick glance down past his heels showed him the vertical maze of ledges and handholds that still waited between this spot and the ground.

Seven feet down. Ninety-something to go.

Jane followed Carter’s example. She turned around on the rim of the cliff and lowered herself toward the first ledge.

“You can do it, Jane,” Buzz said.

Hanging with her face toward the rock, it was a blind descent. When she let go, everything blurred, but Carter was right there as she landed. He put a firm hand on her arm and held tight.

“I’ve got you,” he said. “That wasn’t so bad, right?”

Jane only nodded. It was hard to speak with her heart running so fast. It felt as if the wind could scoop in and pull her right off the ledge without warning. Carter was trying to be encouraging, but her brother’s wide eyes said otherwise. This was going to be anything but easy.

As Buzz started down, Jane and Carter pushed together to make room for him. Buzz moved more cautiously and not nearly as gracefully, but when his feet finally touched down next to them, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Okay,” he muttered, maybe just to convince himself. “Okay,...