Front Country

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 20 Sep 2022 | Archive Date 20 Sep 2022

Talking about this book? Use #FrontCountry #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

When eighth grader Ginny Shepard learns that the most adorable animal ever, the pika, may not survive the changing climate, she feels the earth shift beneath her feet. Suddenly, nothing seems to matter: not tennis, not homework, and certainly not summer college prep. But isn’t it reasonable to get a little sidetracked when the world you love is basically on fire?

Maybe not, according to her parents. But just when she’s landed at a camp where she can finally see pikas and other threatened creatures firsthand, she discovers she’s been sent there for all the wrong reasons.

The only girl in a group with five (challenging, delinquent, tech-addicted) boys, Ginny struggles to find her place. But as her friendships with her fellow campers deepen around the campfire, she starts to see other sides of them and of herself. Navigating the trails and the trials of the back country, maybe she’ll find what she needs to face the front country again.

Set against the sweeping Montana alpine wilderness, this epic adventure is a testament to the tremendous heartbreak of realizing that the world isn’t okay at all—and how that knowledge and what we choose to do with it shape us into who we are.


When eighth grader Ginny Shepard learns that the most adorable animal ever, the pika, may not survive the changing climate, she feels the earth shift beneath her feet. Suddenly, nothing seems to...


Marketing Plan

National Media Campaign

National Consumer Advertising Campaign

Major Promotion At Select National School And Library Conferences

Virtual Events Tour

Extensive Outreach To Key Educators And Library Contacts

Social Media Outreach Campaign

Digital Consumer Content

Parenting/Educator Blogger Campaign

National Media Campaign

National Consumer Advertising Campaign

Major Promotion At Select National School And Library Conferences

Virtual Events Tour

Extensive Outreach To Key Educators And...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781797215631
PRICE $17.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Download (PDF)

Average rating from 6 members


Featured Reviews

As a lover of the outdoors and a science teacher, I was delighted to recieve an ARC for Front Country by Sara St. Antoine. From the book description, I expected a happy little story about a teen girl overcoming some challenges in the outdoors, but it was so much more than that. The book quickly took a turn when I learned that Ginny was sent to the wilderness program because her parents were hoping it would help "fix" all her challenges she'd had that spring when she lost herself in the worries about climate change. Ginny's fellow camp mates, five teen boys, were fascinating characters, each with their own stories to tell. St. Antoine built in a lot of real-life complications for the teens, but nothing that felt so complicated it was unbelievable. I think a lot of teens would see parts of themselves in this group of teens. The book had some twists I wasn't expecting, which made it a lot of fun to read, and I really enjoyed how it all came together. Overall, I really recommend this book to readers - it really was a fun, delightful read that tugged on my heart.

Was this review helpful?

Ginny is an eighth grader who loves the pikas - a small animal that may become endangered with the climate change. When she finds this out in her science class, she becomes very passionate and this lands her in an unusual camping expedition. It was different to read a story with a character that is from a functional and even highly successful family deciding they have a difficult child because she is getting off of "the path" to success with her love of nature. The group of campers makes you think about a variety of groups of kids that are commonly found in schools and having them in the same space to work together makes for an interesting story. I think it really worked and will bring this title in for small reading groups in my fifth grade classroom. Good topics but written appropriately for upper elementary.

Was this review helpful?

First I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

When Ginny enters the 8th grade, her science teacher strikes a cord with her by talking about climate change and how quickly species are dying out, and how fast changes are being made to the planet. Ginny finds herself mired down by all she learns about how humans are effecting the earth, and begins to question if the things she has always found so important such as having the perfect GPA or tennis practice should really be something she cares about, when the planet is in such dire straights. Ginny's parents are concerned as she begins to drop out of activities such as tennis lessons, and not show as much interest in her grades, and begins to question what matters in life. That summer Ginny thinks she is going on a backpacking vacation in Montana, which turns out to be a program for "troubled teens" to help them to find their way. Ginny soon finds herself as the only girl with a handful of boys trying to make her way surviving a month in the Montana wilderness while she is supposed to be participating in various activities to learn more about herself. The counselors tell them that they will be learning life lessons in the "Back Country" that they can eventually bring back with them to the "Front Country" when they return to their regular lives.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the differnt characters, and the concept of the teenagers completing different activities/skills such as pitching tents, hiking, cleaning the campsite, etc, to learn to work together etc. was interesting. I did wonder if Ginny would have really been so "all or nothing" that she would stop everything in her life in protest of climate change, and it was a little odd that these teenages were in the woods for a month with only two young adult counselors. Even though I did enjoy the nature descriptions and seeing the various characters get to know each other and themselves, and the acknowledgement that teens are struggling with some very real life issues with a slight nod here and there to COVID and the pandemic, it did drag a little in the middle for me. However, all in all this was a solid book for me and I enjoyed it.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: