New York Times bestselling author Natalie D. Richards's middle grade debut about a group of four classmates forced to navigate the wilderness for an extra credit project with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook — and each other — to save them.  When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson break a school rule, they’re forced to travel to the middle of nowhere for an extra credit project. They think things can’t get much worse. After all, how will learning to survive in the wilderness help them stay out of trouble in school?    What starts off as a weekend of team building takes a scary turn when their instructor goes missing and they are given nothing but pages of a survival guide to complete a series of challenges.      They soon learn the woods around them have unexpected surprises. Will they discover a way to work together to find their teacher and overcome the dangers of winter in the mountains?      A recommended choice for classroom discussions on earth science and educators looking for survival books for kids. "Excellent characterization, rich details, and an exciting setting bring every harrowing adventure to life as the kids learn the value of working together, and the value of one another’s strengths and passions ." — School Library Journal "The narrative presents believable moments of danger infused with the protagonists’ unwillingness to cooperate and a well-crafted realization of individual strengths, weaknesses, and friendship.... Both exciting and revelatory ." — Kirkus Reviews "[A] fast-paced adventure that features a charging moose, potential hypothermia, and plenty of friendship drama." —Publishers Weekly "Nature lovers and puzzle solvers alike will delight in this middle-grade adventure story." —Booklist Natalie D. Richards is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of 49 Miles Alone, Four Found Dead, Seven Dirty Secrets, Five Total Strangers, Six Months Later, and One Was Lost, among other young adult thrillers. 15 Secrets to Survival was her middle-grade debut, and her latest middle-grade adventure story is Survive This Safari. Natalie lives in Ohio with her three children and a ridiculously furry dog named Wookiee. Chapter 1 December 16, 3:25 p.m.--Montana Our car grinds to a halt at the head of a narrow gravel drive. I look up from the back seat, seeing nothing but trees and mountains in every direction. I slouch lower and feel my throat go tight. Is this really a fitting punishment? I mean, I already lost my spot on our school’s e-sports team thanks to my active school discipline status. And it was just a few text messages. Okay, fine, a few text messages and a Know and Grow team disqualification. For the record, they shouldn’t have disqualified us, because we weren’t cheating. We were just sharing our feelings with one another. And by feelings, I mean our dislike for one another. And by dislike, I mean loathing, but I already tried explaining that back when it all happened. That’s when a funny little line showed up between Dad’s eyebrows and Mom put her hand on her chest like she was trying not to cry and I decided that it was probably not a good idea to bring up the fact that it’s kind of Mom’s fault. She’s the one who was all, “You four will make a great team for this class, Baxter.” Usually our elective courses at Lincoln are kind of awesome. Last year I took a class with three of my friends in a team to build and compete with derby robots. I figured a team trivia competition couldn’t be that bad, even with Emerson, Turner, and Abigail. Didn’t quite have that one right, did I? Anyway, the day after Mom and Dad met with our teacher, they informed me that I would not be going on the tropical holiday cruise with them over winter break as planned. Instead the other Team Starbright members and I would be going for a weekend of responsibility and teamwork in the remote mountains of Montana with Mom’s uncle Hornsby. And somehow, while doing all that, we’re supposed to think of a group project we can do for replacement credit. Dad steers around yet another curve. We’ve been weaving through mountains and forests for eight bazillion hours. How are we still in the middle of nowhere? Where are all the cities? Heck, for that matter, where are all the houses? Or farms? I think I’d get excited if I spotted a random barn on the side of the road at this point. “Doobledee. Cookie.” My baby sister, Vivi, offers this conversation starter from her car seat beside me. “It sure is beautiful,” Dad says with a low whistle. “I almost wish I could stay with you.” I doubt it. Dad and the other parents are going to Aruba while we’re here, which is so unfair. But I make a strangled noise that might sound like agreement. “You may thank me for this, Baxter,” Mom says, her pink nails tap-tap-tapping at her throat while she beams at the snowy pine trees. “It’s an amazing opportunity.” I squirm in my seat, because this