Into the Rapids - Review

Into the Rapids

By: Ann Braden

Publication: May 13, 2025 by Nancy Paulsen Books

165 pages

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--Sometimes even a girl who likes to rely only on herself needs to be brave enough to ask for help.

When a superstorm hits Addy’s remote mountain town, knocking out their bridge and cutting them off, she worries that she won’t be able to get to the Survival Camp she’s been looking forward to (the irony!) It’s the camp where her parents met, and she’s eager to hone her skills and honor their legacy. But now there’s no power, and it’s also like a light has been switched off in her mom, who’s triggered by the raging river and memories of Addy’s dad dying in a similar storm.

Addy and her mom have always prided themselves on their self-reliance, so now they feel especially stranded since they’ve never bothered to befriend any neighbors. On the hill where she goes to get cell service, she keeps running into her classmate Caleb. He’s frantic about a missing neighbor, and she’s amazed at how he connects with folks to get help. Then he offers to try to get her to camp—but can she trust him? She’s always thought of him as an enemy. The storm has brought so many questions about her beliefs swirling to the surface, and maybe it’s time to take some leaps of faith. The remarkable string of events that follows includes the greatest survival test Addy has ever faced and the realization that she’s not in this adventure of life alone.

I have been looking into more middle-grade books since my kids are starting to read this range. But what I'm looking for is pretty specific. 

Addy's father died in an accident involving some flooding. Her mom is still struggling to cope, even though Addy was pretty young when it happened. Addy and her mother are pretty secluded from others, even though they have next door neighbors with a kid Addy's age. Caleb gave Addy a nickname that has stuck with her throughout elementary school. Addy blames him for making her a laughing stock among her classmates. 

When a tropical storm causes the river to flood and the community to lose power, Addy fears that she won't be able to make it to survival camp. But only twelve-year-olds are allowed to go. So this is Addy's only shot. Most of all, she wants to beat her father's time so she can sign her name beside his at the wet fire competition. 

Added to Addy's issues is her mother's struggles with coping. Addy has definitely taken more of a parenting role than she needs to. But Addy realized that maybe she and her mom are isolated due to their own choices and not others. Caleb helps Addy realize that she can depend on others and maybe make friends. 

I liked Addy a lot. I liked her survival spirit. She faced adversity with an attitude of figuring out what she could do to improve her situation. Those are the lessons I want my kids to be exposed to.

I will say that there were no messages of anti-God, even though the absence of God during such a disaster scenario was glaringly obvious to me. 

Favorite quotes:

-Grief is funny like that. In lots of books, when someone dies, everyone's just sad. But in real life, there's a lot of anger, too.

-Like how there's a space between every stimulus and response, and in that space is our freedom to choose how we want to respond.

-And why do I avoid other people? Because I'm fine without them? Or worried they won't like me?

Into the Rapids was a good read that had a lot of good messages. I can easily see myself recommending this book to my kids. Into the Rapids gets 4 Stars. Have you read Into the Rapids? What did you think? Let me know!