Wilderness survival books
Wilderness survival books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Hatchet
Gary PaulsenA thirteen-year-old survives alone in the Canadian woods after a plane crash, using a hatchet and his own problem-solving. It is the standard modern teen survival novel.
My Side of the Mountain
Jean Craighead GeorgeA boy runs away to live in the Catskills, hollowing out a tree, keeping a falcon, and foraging. It set a quiet, practical model for later wilderness stories.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel DefoeThe founding castaway novel. Crusoe's lists, tools, and farming on his island shaped the genre's focus on practical detail.
Julie of the Wolves
Jean Craighead GeorgeA girl lost on the Alaskan tundra survives by learning from a wolf pack. It won the Newbery Medal and blends survival with a cross-cultural theme.
Kensuke's Kingdom
Michael MorpurgoA boy shipwrecked on a Pacific island is cared for by a Japanese man who has lived there for decades, and the story turns on their relationship.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More wilderness survival books
- Life of Pi
Life of PiYann Martel - Into the Wild
Into the WildJon Krakauer - Alive!
Alive!Piers Paul Read - The Twisted Ones
The Twisted OnesKira Breed-Wrisley2017 - The Swiss Family Robinson
The Swiss Family RobinsonJohann David Wyss - The Silver Eyes
The Silver EyesScott Cawthon2001 - Northern Lights
Northern LightsPhilip Pullman1995 - Refugee
RefugeeAlan Gratz2017 - The Scorch Trials
The Scorch TrialsJames Dashner2010 - Iland of the Blue Dolphins
Iland of the Blue DolphinsScott O’Dell1960 - Long Walk to Water
Long Walk to WaterLinda Sue Park2008 - The Wild Robot
The Wild RobotPeter Brown2016