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71st out of 90 books
—
52 voters
Overboard
Fourteen-year-old Emily boards an over-crowded ferry in Sumatra. When the boat sinks, she’s trapped by hundreds of panicked people. She finds Isman, a terrified young Muslim boy, floating in a life vest. Together, with Emily’s physical strength and Isman’s quiet faith, they swim for their lives.
Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages
Published
February 8th 2005
by Laurel Leaf
(first published April 9th 2002)
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This was a very good book. I liked it a lot becaue it's different from what i usually read. It is about this girl Emily who has to go to Indonesia becasue both her parents are pediatricians. Emily if from boston though. She starts to get a little jealous when her parents pay more attention to their patients than to their own daughter. Emily then finds out bad news. One of the children that her parents were treating died that day. Emily was very upset by the news. Her uncle was in town and Emily...more
I will admit that I would never have picked up this book on my own. I asked my friend/mentor for recommendations for “Adventure” themed books for my class and she recommended the author E. Fama. Through the first 20-30 pages I thought perhaps I had made a mistake. I was reading about a whiny, complaining teen girl so nothing surprising. Then she boarded a ferry and her life changed, as did my reading experience.
Every moment of her life for the hours that she was in the water after the ferry caps...more
Every moment of her life for the hours that she was in the water after the ferry caps...more
This book was about a girl named Emily who lives in Indonesia with her mom and dad. She has lived there for a while because her parents are doctor missionaries. Emily wants to escape her assistant job for one day, so she decides to go on a ferry to go see her uncle. While on the boat she meets a British couple who are going to the island of Weh. Once they have gotten into the middle the boat takes a very scary turn to the right. Every couple minutes the boat lurks more to the right. All of the s...more
I didn't realize it was so hard to find Elizabeth Fama's debut book Overboard. I feel kinda special that my library had it available to read.
Anyway, Overboard is based on a true event that happened off the coast of Sumatra in 1996. I really enjoy books that are based on actual events. I think it adds an intensity to the story.
The strongest element for me was the relationship between the main character Emily and Isman. Their struggle and eventual bond is a testimony to the depth of the human sp...more
Anyway, Overboard is based on a true event that happened off the coast of Sumatra in 1996. I really enjoy books that are based on actual events. I think it adds an intensity to the story.
The strongest element for me was the relationship between the main character Emily and Isman. Their struggle and eventual bond is a testimony to the depth of the human sp...more
Jul 24, 2011
Tori
added it
2003- This book is based on a 1995 ferry accident that happened in Malaysia. By interjecting the main character, Emily, an American living in Malaysia on board, we get to see what it was like for the lucky ones- those who could swim. Emily, angry at her parents for bringing her around the world while they try to heal the sick children of third world countries, decides to go visit her uncle, who is visiting a nearby island. She never suspects the ferry ride won't make it to the other shore. The b...more
Not the ridiculous Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn fiasco...
Author: Elizabeth Fama
Title: Overboard
Genre: survival
Publication Info: Dell Laurel-Leaf. New York. 2002.
Recommended Age: 12 and up
Plot Summary: Emily Slake is a ninth-grader who has been living in Sumatra for the last two years. Her parents, both doctors, moved there as part of World Physicians for Children. Emily is expected to help out in the clinic. She has no friends and is miserable because of the heat and humidity. Her parents seem to have no patience with her. They all but blame her for t...more
Title: Overboard
Genre: survival
Publication Info: Dell Laurel-Leaf. New York. 2002.
Recommended Age: 12 and up
Plot Summary: Emily Slake is a ninth-grader who has been living in Sumatra for the last two years. Her parents, both doctors, moved there as part of World Physicians for Children. Emily is expected to help out in the clinic. She has no friends and is miserable because of the heat and humidity. Her parents seem to have no patience with her. They all but blame her for t...more
Good enough that I book-talked it within a week to my 5-8 (5th-8th grade) club within a week after I read it. The subject is rather unusual. An American girl, Emily, and her doctor parents live in Sumatra. Her parents are always working and she has been enlisted, like it or not, as a sort of assistant at the medical facility, and has been forced to grow up somewhat fast because of this. Her parents really treat her more like an orderly than a daughter. After an especially bad day when a patient...more
Emily Slake and her physician parents are living in Sumatra and Emily is tired of always helping the parents. And lonely while they work. So in a moment of rashness she decides to join her uncle. It’s only a ferry ride and shouldn’t be hard and she could surprise him. But Emily didn’t count on the ferry beginning to tilt and start to sink. They started handing out life vests .... read p. 34... “She opened her eyes again, and now the captain... to end of chapter.
I really enjoyed this book because I really enjoy the books that involve rescue missions and adventure.My favorite part in this book was when Emily finds Isaman because I felt really bad for her floating in the ocean all alone from when she was ship wrecked and I am so glad she has now found someone to swim with even though he is kind of a complainer .I think think that all people who read the Island series should read this book because they are similar.
Very good book. I finished it in one sitting. I wasn't sure I would like it, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. It is on the darker side of fiction, as there is a tragic ferry accident with mass fatalities. However, Elizabeth Fama does an excellent job of describing the physical and emotional toll that Emily (and Isman) endure as they swim for their lives.
One of my students e-mailed Mrs. Fama with questions, and Mrs. Fama wrote my student back within two hours with the answers. :)...more
One of my students e-mailed Mrs. Fama with questions, and Mrs. Fama wrote my student back within two hours with the answers. :)...more
so far its not that good! i mean its good but could be better, for me anyway! i just wish i could read a little more faster so that it could get to the action and drama! ctfu! anyway like i was sayin its not as good as i though it would be but its still has a little spark to it, thats if u can get into the story and foces!
I didn't like this book. It ended too soon, and the only thing that really happens is a lot of swimming and trying to stay alive. I gave it two stars because it had a good beginning and it shows you some interesting facts and words from Sumatra (I think it's Sumatra, at least). I recommend reading this book if your boat sinks.
The story line in the book was good- it read very quickly because after the introduction, it is non-stop action. My only disappointment was that the main character would be disappointed in the opportunity to see new places.
i loved this book it was truely heart warming touching and pulling but it was a graite insparational moving book and i will always love it i wish it had a sequel id read it right away wonderfull writing also.
I read this book years ago and don't remember it all to well but from I remember it was a great book that had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. I needed to know what was going to happen and who would survive. It was an excellent book on survival, family, and becoming a stronger person.
Dec 04, 2008
Jenna
added it
Sooo dramatic and sad i mean there are locked in lockers under water about to drown and shark attacks and people trying to drown their selves! Good job Elizabeth Fama!
Gripping and hard to put down. So much fun to read, and yet I was so anxious through it all! Great for middle-school readers. Fama is clearly a huge talent.
It was too short, the characters didn't have enough depth, and I wish that there could have been some kind of reunion with her parents at the end of the book.
Read this book in a day. A very quick read! One of my favorites, very adventurous, suspensful, and loving all tied up into a random fast book :)
An introspective book about a girl who is left to survive after a boat sinks loosely based on real events described at the end.
A suspense filled story about a girl and her challenges against the sea, and her struggle to survive.
This was a really good book based on survival, i recondmend it to anyone
This was a good read but I thought the ending could have been better.
I think I was expecting a lot more. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be.
It was one of the best books ever!!! I learned never to loose hope!!!
An exciting adventure for fourth graders and higher.
May 04, 2012
fяσzєη
marked it as to-read
Ooh it takes place in my country. xD That's interesting.
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I just finished reading the book Overboard. Overboard is about a ferry in Sumatra that sinks. A girl named Emily was on the boat when it sunk. When the boat sinks everyone has to learn how to survive in the water, and try to find land. Emily starts to swim and try to find land. On her way to try to find land she runs into many obstacles, but also learns many mental lessons as well.
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Elizabeth Fama is the author of Monstrous Beauty (FSG 2012), and Overboard (Cricket Books 2002), an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
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Aug 12, 2008 08:17pm