"Set over six days, this harrowing survival story follows two siblings as they struggle to stay alive in the wilderness.Chock-full of suspense and real-life danger, the story moves quickly.and Preller deftly maintains the question of their survival.[F]ans of Gary Paulsen's books will likely be hooked from page one." - -Publishers Weekly "Combine a strenuous hike in an unfamiliar wilderness park, lost kids, a dangerous hermit, a rogue mountain lion, a faithful dog, and a savvy female ranger and you have the gist of Preller's exciting thriller. Preller combines brave characters with vivid descriptions of the perilous mountain, grasping readers' emotions in the same way as Gary Paulsen's Hatchet series. -- Booklist " A simple family hike unexpectedly becomes a six-day struggle for survival for two children and their dog.The result is a page-turning adventure.

Readers walk in characters' footsteps thanks to the vividly realized setting. A thrilling purchase for middle grade collections; perfect for fans of adventure novels by Jean Craighead George, Peg Kehret, and Gary Paulsen." --School Library Journal "Almost immediately after the Taylors--big and brawny dad, thirteen-year-old star athlete Grace, eleven-year-old brat Carter, and shepherd mix Sitka--arrive on the portentously named Blood Mountain for a family hike, everything goes awry .The third-person narration floats inventively from the perspectives of the children to a potentially threatening but visibly traumatized military vet lurking in the mountains to Makayla, a nature-loving ranger from Brooklyn, to some elegantly anthropomorphized natural elements surrounding the story, which gives this survival story a unique sense of the mountain as omniscient storyteller. "-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "For diehard fans of wilderness survival." -- Kirkus Reviews Praise for Bystander : "Preller has perfectly nailed the middle school milieu, and his characters are well developed with authentic voices." -- School Library Journal , starred review.