A small plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, and stowaways Emily Perez and her younger brother, Aidan, struggle to stay alive. Trekking across the frozen mountains with a little kid and a hurt pilot requires Emily to use all the skills she has learned from her hardy, outdoorsy parents. Above all, it is imperative to keep Aidan alive, especially when the mysterious men come after them, shooting to kill. Because Aidan is not Emily's brother at all: He is from outer space, and he is lost on Earth. Aidan also has the power, a useful survival mechanism, to make people want to love and protect him, and Emily will do anything to help him go back home. Lake's story combines adrenaline-driven survival with a poignant examination of Emily's ongoing anger toward her family; she feels they don't truly understand or support her. The novel skirts deeper necessary conversations not only about Aidan's power to override people's memories and whether real love can grow from it, but also some of Emily's actions during their escape. However, the overall message about connecting and empathy is deeply felt, as is Emily's coming-of-age and understanding of her place in the universe as a young woman with her own voice. Emily's grandparents came from El Salvador and Germany; most characters are assumed white. A heady, if uneven, mix of science fiction and thriller with contemporary issues. (Science fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 7 Up--The shock of regaining consciousness in the Alaskan wilds after stowing away in bush pilot Bob Simpson's plane is only the beginning of Emily Perez's adventure. Not to mention Aidan, the young boy she found in the woods who might be more than he appears. The novel builds tension quickly by placing the trio in an inhospitable environment and almost immediately adding several men determined to catch and recover Aidan, without caring whether or not Emily and Bob get in their way. The story sustains its momentum by having the three face constant dangers that make their survival increasingly unlikely, even as Emily risks everything to save Aidan. They become more dependent on the survival skills Emily learned from her father, a former Special Forces officer. Emily's background is revealed slowly, highlighting the extreme difference between her earlier life in Minnesota and her current one in Alaska while providing readers with a twist that will keep them transfixed. VERDICT A title that starts off as an appealing survival story, then moves into an exploration of family and relationships, while maintaining its pace. Will find an audience in school and public libraries.--Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada

Emily has been having a rough go of it: her family moved to Alaska, she has gone from ballet to cheerleading (not her first choice), and she is accused of trying to burn down her school. Oh, and there are strange men following her and her brother, Aidan. As a result, the two stow away on a cargo plane, hoping to escape. What begins as a survival story in the tradition of Hatchet--a plane crash, a race to find food and shelter, getting lost on a mountain--takes a sharp turn when a helicopter full of men with machine guns shows up on the scene, making Emily, Aidan, and the pilot run for their lives. Deftly weaving elements of science fiction into a tale of survival and personal (re)growth, Lake (Satellite, 2017) takes on sexual assault, family discord, and what it means to rebuild in the face of trauma. Both completely alien and yet all-too-relatable, Emily and Aidan's story will help readers think more deeply about the world around them.