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Across the Desert Hardcover – October 12, 2021

by Dusti Bowling (Author)
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One girl sets out on a journey across the treacherous Arizona desert to rescue a young pilot stranded after a plane crash in this gripping story of survival, friendship, and rescue from a bestselling and award-winning author.
​
Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old “Addie Earhart” shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert. While watching this daring girl fly through the sky, Jolene can dream of what it would be like to fly with her, far away from her own troubled home life where her mother struggles with a narcotic addiction. And Addie, who is grieving the loss of her father, finds solace in her online conversations with Jolene, her biggest—and only—fan.

Then, one day, it all goes wrong: Addie's engine abruptly stops, and Jolene watches in helpless horror as the ultralight plummets to the ground and the video goes dark. Jolene knows that Addie won’t survive long in the extreme summer desert heat. With no one to turn to for help and armed with only a hand-drawn map and a stolen cell phone, it's up to Jolene to find a way to save the Desert Aviator. Packed with adventure and heart, Across the Desert speaks to the resilience, hope, and strength within each of us.

Don't miss Dusti Bowling's new novel, Dust, available for preorder now. 

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    320 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    October 12, 2021
  8. ISBN-10
    0316494747
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0316494748
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Canyons Edge by Dusti Bowling Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling Dust by Dusti Bowling
The Canyon's Edge Across the Desert Dust
Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
487
4.8 out of 5 stars
146
4.6 out of 5 stars
57
Price $7.99 $6.99 $14.40
Explore the desert with thrilling adventures from award-winning author Dusti Bowling. A heartfelt novel in verse about a young girl's struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong. One girl journeys across the treacherous Arizona desert to rescue a young pilot in this gripping story of survival and friendship. A girl who struggles to breathe befriends a boy who seems shrouded in dust, in this unmissable tour de force.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Jolene is used to taking care of herself. Ever since a car accident severely injured her mother and caused her slide into opioid addiction, Jolene is alternately upset with and fiercely protective of her, despite their descent into poverty and occasional homelessness. She takes refuge from the Phoenix heat in the library each day, where she reserves travel books, draws maps, researches remarkable female pioneers, and follows livestreamer Addie Earhart's aerial adventures. Addie is grieving the loss of her father and flying their ultralight plane alone in the desert without her mother's knowledge, and the lonely pair strike up a connection. When Addie crash lands and the impact cuts off the feed, Jolene can't get anyone to go search for her. She has a pretty good idea of where Addie might be, and, realizing she's the only one who knows about the accident, scrounges meager supplies and sets out by bus to find her. Luckily for Jolene, she meets 17-year-old Marty on her journey, and the two end up searching for Addie together. Jolene's voice is instantly compelling, making suspending disbelief at the unique and dangerous scenario quite easy. The tension ratchets up insidiously as the desert heat rises and time seems to keep running out. Alongside the budding friendships, the depiction of parental addiction is utterly realistic and heartbreaking. VERDICT The book's dedication, "For you, the child of an addict, I see you," says it all. A first purchase.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill M.S., Closter, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

* “Readers will soar along with Jolene into the prospect of better days.”―Booklist, starred review

* “Instantly compelling.”―School Library Journal, starred review

* “[A] tense, poignant story about the essential nature of friendship and life’s unexpected possibilities.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Experience has taught Jolene she can only count on herself, and she doesn't think she counts for much. But when she witnesses her friend's accident in the desert via live stream, she finds the strength to rescue them both. Across The Desert combines compelling adventure, honesty, danger, and love."―Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, two-time Newbery Honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words.

Praise for The Canyon's Edge:
 

* "Stunning.... an edge-of-your-seat read."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "This emotionally resonant survival tale is a must-have."―School Library Journal, starred review

* "Powerful...a triumphant story of healing and bravery."―Booklist, starred review

"Beautifully written. [Dusti] Bowling is a master storyteller."―Midwest Book Review

"A powerful, heart-thumping story about survival and the inner strength it takes to reclaim life after trauma. Nora shows us that it's possible to emerge stronger than we've ever been before."―Ann Braden, award-winning author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus

"You won't be able to stop turning pages of this gripping, unforgettable novel with emotional depth and resonance as you cheer for Nora to conquer her inner and outer beasts."―Donna Gephart, award-winning author of Lily and Dunkin, The Paris Project, and Abby, Tried and True

"A haunting, heart-pounding story of survival, brilliantly told in verse. The Canyon's Edge will inspire, uplift and resonate. I loved it!"―Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You and My Life in the Fish Tank

"A gutsy, page-turning tale of courage, survival, and healing, told in dynamic verse. The Canyon's Edge is powerful, unflinching, and full of heart."―Chris Baron, author of All of Me

"Thrilling."―BookPage

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 12, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316494747
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316494748
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1.2 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Dusti Bowling

Dusti Bowling

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DUSTI BOWLING is the award-winning, bestselling author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, 24 Hours in Nowhere, The Canyon's Edge, and the forthcoming Across the Desert and Aven Green chapter book series.

Dusti's books have won the Reading the West Award, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and have been nominated for over thirty state awards. Her books are Junior Library Guild Selections and have been named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, A Mighty Girl, Shelf Awareness, and many more.

Dusti currently lives in New River, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, a dozen tarantulas, a gopher snake named Burrito, a king snake name Death Noodle, and a cockatiel named Gandalf the Grey.

Follow her on Twitter at @DustiBowling.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
146 global ratings
Scrappy Middle Grades Adventure
5 Stars
Scrappy Middle Grades Adventure
What do you do if you are the only person watching a live stream of a girl soaring over the Arizona desert in an ultralight…as it crashes in the middle of the desert? Jolene is a bright and scrappy 12 year old, who has too much on her plate as she struggles with poverty and parental opiate addiction. She tries all of the first things one would try to alert the authorities and get help, but no one will believe a kid. With her friend Addie crashed and alone in the desert, she takes off by herself to find and rescue her.This book was an absolute delight. I listened to the audiobook, and it was very well done. I first read Dusti Bowling with Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, which I loved! This book is a different story genre, and a page-turner that also made me cry more than once. Jolene is so determined and resourceful, a true relatable heroine. I would highly recommend this book for adults and kids alike. While it does deal with the topic of a parent struggling with opiate addiction, it is compassionate and age-appropriate for late elementary school up.Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book
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Top reviews from the United States

BQEQ
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for young readers from a great author
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
I bought this strictly based on other books that I've read by the same author without knowing anything about the specific story, and it was excellent as ever. I highly recommend this and any of Dusti Bowling's other books to anyone who hasn't read them yet. They're targeted to a middle school/junior high audience, but I'm a 50 year old woman, so they can truly be enjoyed at any age. I absolutely love Dusti Bowling's ability in all of her books to tackle tough subjects like bullying, substance abuse, death, and "disabilities" in a way that's appropriate to younger readers but also very insightful and uplifting. Her writing has a perfect balance between humor and compassion - I literally laughed out loud and cried at different oints. Also, many "adventure" and "buddy" stories seem to involve male characters, so it's nice to see options in that category that feature primarily female lead characters. You will absolutely love reading this!
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Tara
5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter loved it
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
Daughter loved it. even got it signed
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Jamie Bayer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Author!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Love this book!!! Very engaging, I couldn't put it down. I was excited to get it into my library for my students to read!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars So good
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
I have read every Dusti Bowling book to date, although they are intended for middle grade readers, at 50 years old I have learned so much from them all. Across The Desert is another beautifully written book that I learned from. This is such a great book with characters you can't help loving and becoming involved in their struggles.
5 people found this helpful
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NMH
4.0 out of 5 stars A heart pounding and heart wrenching adventure story
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022
Across the Desert is a captivating survival story about not giving up on someone who needs you. Jolene feels helpless in her home life—ever since a serious accident, she constantly skates the boundaries of a panic attack while her mom grows more and more neglectful and dependent on painkillers. All Jolene can do is try to hold things together well enough so she can hide the fact that her world is on the brink of disaster. The last thing she wants is for social services to take her away like they did her friend. So, when Jolene witnesses another accident and no one seems to believe her, she decides that this time she will take matters into her own hands. She can’t sit still and do nothing. Jolene sets off on a trek across the desert to save her friend—but the journey is fraught with complications and near-disasters. I’ll admit that I sometimes had to let go of the fact that Jolene (and eventually her new friend Marty) make some terrible decisions. It’s easier to understand her choices as the book goes on and you start to understand truly what Jolene is facing at home and what she stands to lose. Kids probably won’t be bothered by this, though, and the overall messages of the book are very positive. Jolene eventually learns that she shouldn’t give up on people, but she can and should get help when she needs it.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
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Live Outside
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book by an amazing author - it'll keep you reading till the very end!
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2023
Another fantastic book by Dusti Bowling! I love the way that Dusti can just take me there and I get absorbed into her books and I forget about everything else. When JoJo heads out into the desert, I couldn’t put the book down and before I knew it, I was reading the last page. She didn’t have to set out on this journey alone, yet she did, and I was the little birdie, flying along right there beside her.

My heart broke for twelve-year-old JoJo, as the only friend that she connected with was an individual that she followed online. JoJo followed Addie’s online adventures as she would glide over various regions in her ultralight plane. JoJo’s school and home life were not ideal, so she’d hop online and talk with Addie about her adventures. Both girls were facing family obstacles and just talking together, the girls could escape for just a while. One day as JoJo watches Addie take the ultralight plane out for a ride, Addie runs into trouble. With JoJo being Addie’s only online viewer and communication now cut off, JoJo knows she must do something. But what? With JoJo’s mom in her condition and JoJo being twelve, there’s only so many options to choose from.

My adrenaline was pumping as JoJo fought to find her friend. I wasn’t sure what obstacles she would come up against, but I knew Addie was lucky to have her on her side. A fantastic read! 5 stars
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T.
5.0 out of 5 stars You will laugh and cry
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2023
I came across Dusti Bowling last year and this is her 3rd book I've read with my kids. She is phenomenal. She so easily takes a serious subject and can inject hilarious tidbits in a way that just works perfectly. My whole family was laughing out loud and then crying all in a 5 minute span. This book was amazing. We read as a family at bedtime and it took us 4 nights at 3-4 hours a night. We could not put it down.

This book also deals with drug addiction in a very real and humbling way. Her authors note at the end broke me.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2023
Great read a page turner. I read it to my sister in the nursing home, she loved it, she also had some very big laughs. Good for all ages.
One person found this helpful
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