Awards

• Commended for Newbery Medal (Children's) 2021
• Commended for Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award (Children's Book) 2021
• Commended for Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award 2021
• Commended for Yalsa Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults 2021
• Winner of Golden Kite (Older Readers) 2021

Overview

A 2022 YALSA Amazing Audiobook for Young Adults Winner of the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Young People's Literature A 2021 Newbery Honor Book A 2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book A 2021 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist A 2021 Orbis Pictus Honor Book A unique account of the amazing Thai cave rescue told in a heart-racing, you-are-there style that blends suspense, science, and cultural insight. On June 23, 2018, twelve young players of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach enter a cave in northern Thailand seeking an afternoon's adventure. But when they turn to leave, rising floodwaters block their path out. The boys are trapped! Before long, news of the missing team spreads, launching a seventeen-day rescue operation involving thousands of rescuers from around the globe. As the world sits vigil, people begin to wonder: how long can a group of ordinary kids survive in complete darkness, with no food or clean water? Luckily, the Wild Boars are a very extraordinary ordinary group. Combining firsthand interviews of rescue workers with in-depth science and details of the region's culture and religion, author Christina Soontornvat--who was visiting family in Northern Thailand when the Wild Boars went missing--masterfully shows how both the complex engineering operation above ground and the mental struggles of the thirteen young people below proved critical in the life-or-death mission. Meticulously researched, this page-turner includes an author's note describing her experience meeting the team, detailed source notes, and a bibliography to fully immerse readers in the most ambitious cave rescue in history.

Full Product Details

9781713547808

Table of Contents

Reviews

In his audiobook debut, [Quincy] Surasmith narrates with a calm, journalistic demeanor and pays careful attention to the correct pronunciation of Thai names. His measured, clear presentation serves to highlight the hardworking determination of the rescue and the high stakes of the operation. Narration and writing seamlessly weave in sidebars on topics like Thai culture and history, the science of cave formation, politics, and the unique challenges of cave diving. --Booklist

In his audiobook debut, [Quincy] Surasmith narrates with a calm, journalistic demeanor and pays careful attention to the correct pronunciation of Thai names. His measured, clear presentation serves to highlight the hardworking determination of the rescue and the high stakes of the operation. Narration and writing seamlessly weave in sidebars on topics like Thai culture and history, the science of cave formation, politics, and the unique challenges of cave diving. --Booklist When the action of the rescue ratchets up, Surasmith narrates with an exasperation that makes listeners feel like they too are trapped in the cave. This informative, engaging yet pithy audiobook is suitable for all audiences. --AudioFile Magazine The term page-turner gets tossed around a lot, but All Thirteen is the real deal. Even if you think you know this story, you won't be able to stop reading. --Steve Sheinkin, award-winning author of Bomb and Undefeated All Thirteen is one of the best middle-grade nonfiction books that I have ever read. Even though I knew how this story was going to end, I found myself captivated from beginning to end. Christina Soontornvat did a marvelous job bringing this inspiring rescue to young readers. --Colby Sharp, cofounder of Nerdy Book Club A nonfiction marvel. --Minh Le, award-winning author of Drawn Together In lucid prose written in third-person-present tense for a heightened sense of immediacy, Soontornvat gives readers a journalistic account of the difficulty and complexity of the rescue effort. Using interviews and other primary sources, she keeps a tight focus on the unfolding story, with its inherent edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-throat drama, adroitly juggling a parade of characters, clearly laying out the technical and engineering challenges, and judiciously parsing out expository information in the occasional sidebar. --The Horn Book (starred review) An in-depth account of a harrowing real-life mission that succeeds against all odds...Masterful storytelling fleshes out the complex human emotions behind key decisions, illuminates diplomatic and political negotiations, and underscores an unwavering faith--in maintaining hope and in harnessing powers of the mind. Thoughtfully researched, expertly crafted. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Soontornvat's narrative nonfiction account shares these events and those that led to the rescue along with intricate details about caverns, sump diving, and other scientific details that emphasize the harrowing conditions of the rescue. She also touches on Thai culture, immigration issues, Buddhism, and religion...This stellar nonfiction work reads like a heart-pounding adventure story. Every library should have a copy. --School Library Journal (starred review) Soontornvat masterfully chronicles this amazing undertaking, in which incredible ad hoc feats of engineering became commonplace. Her narration and the testimonies of the numerous figures she interviewed are suspenseful and deeply felt. Interspersed with All Thirteen's gripping account are fascinating, accessible analyses - supplemented by photos, diagrams, maps and more - of the cultural, technological, scientific and spiritual considerations that affected the rescue effort, from Buddhism to climate change to political protocol...All Thirteen is an inspiring testament to those 18 fateful days of communal empathy, determination and hope. In Soontornvat's talented hands, it's at once a nail-biter and a revelation: 'This rescue was impossible, and they did it anyway.' --BookPage (starred review) In her nonfiction debut, Soontornvat (Simon at the Art Museum) presents a well-researched, comprehensive look at the 2018 rescue of the Wild Boars juvenile soccer team from Thailand's flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave...Soontornvat delivers humanizing coverage of a harrowing event, attempting to decenter Western media's lens with great success. Back matter includes an author's note and a bibliography. --Publishers Weekly Online (starred review) Soontornvat's narrative moves smoothly between those stranded deep within the cave (which eventually included four rescuers who chose to stay with them), local and national officials whose competence and reputation were at stake, and diverse teams of recruits and volunteers, whose energy and goodwill sometimes exceeded their effectiveness...Most spreads feature at least one color photograph or a schematic of a cave or recovery system; well-placed insets add cultural and scientific notes. An author note remarks on Soontornvat's research and personal experiences, and annotated source notes, a bibliography, and index will also be provided. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Author Information

Christina Soontornvat is the author of several books for young readers, including the middle-grade fantasy novel A Wish in the Dark. She holds both a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in science education and lives with her family in Austin, Texas. About All Thirteen, Christina Soontornvat says, I was visiting family in northern Thailand when the Wild Boars went missing, and like so many others, I became obsessed with following the story. It has been an honor to write this book and to share a Thai perspective, which I feel is vital to understanding how this unprecedented rescue unfolded. Christina Soontornvat is the author of several books for young readers, including the middle-grade fantasy novel A Wish in the Dark. She holds both a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in science education and lives with her family in Austin, Texas. About All Thirteen, Christina Soontornvat says, I was visiting family in northern Thailand when the Wild Boars went missing, and like so many others, I became obsessed with following the story. It has been an honor to write this book and to share a Thai perspective, which I feel is vital to understanding how this unprecedented rescue unfolded.

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