Sole Survivor

By Brendan Kiely and Norman Ollestad

A riveting real-life survival adventure reminiscent of Hatchet, this astounding true story from two New York Times-bestselling authors chronicles how a California sixth grader survived a deadly mountainside plane crash during a snowstorm.

Eleven-year-old Norman Ollestad is no stranger to extreme danger. Whether it's surfing big swells off Topanga Beach or skiing in a blizzard, he has braved one adrenaline-rush adventure after another, pushed by his thrill-seeking father to realize that "anything's possible." And with Dad by his side, sometimes Norman believes him.

That motto is put to the ultimate test when, en route to claim a race trophy Norman won the day before, the sketchy plane they've chartered crashes in the San Gabriel Mountains during a snowstorm, with deadly consequences. Trapped eight thousand feet above sea level, Norman is left to contend with grief and with his dire circumstances. Struggling in and out of lucidity, haunted by the voices and memories from difficult moments in his past, Norman must decide what to do. Should he wait for help and hope rescue arrives before hypothermia sets in, or brave a descent in the brutal cold down a steep, ice-covered peak, a challenge unlike any Norman has faced before?

Inspired by the harrowing true experience of author Norman Ollestad, this astonishing, action-packed survival story, co-written with Brendan Kiely, is about the complicated forces--and people--that shape us. Fast-paced and unputdownable, Sole Survivor is the perfect read for fans of Dusti Bowling's The Canyon's Edge, Megan E. Freeman's Alone, and the I Survived series.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374392617
• ISBN13: 9780374392611
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9