Adrift by Tanya Guerrero

Abstract

Reviewed by: Adrift by Tanya Guerrero Danica Ronquillo Guerrero, Tanya Adrift. Farrar, 2022 [320p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374389659 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374389642 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 6-9 Growing up on Pebble Island with their families, eleven-year-old Coral and twelve-year-old Isa are biracial Filipino cousins who are as close as siblings. When Coral and her parents are off on a four-month sea voyage to Indonesia, Is a feels lost without her cousin and decides to write letters to Coral to keep in touch. But tragedy strikes when a tidal wave sweeps Coral's parents and the rest of the crew members off the boat, and Coral is washed ashore on a deserted island. Devastated and alone, Coral must find the strength to survive and figure out a way to get back home, while Isa stays hopeful that her cousin is still alive and they will reunite again. First-person point of view and the use of handwritten letters effectively convey the two girls' struggle with grief as they learn how to validate and accept their own feelings during a terrible hardship. Although repetitive dialogue and descriptions slow the narrative down, they also immerse readers in Coral's experience on the island and capture the significance of familial memories to the cousins' resilience. This is an insightful and heartfelt book that balances a strong representation of Filipino culture with a heartfelt message about how it is okay to not be okay. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois