Squeeze

by Rachel Dunstan Muller

Byron is psyched when his older brother Jesse invites him on a weekend caving trip—even if it means spending time with Cole, Jesse's obnoxious college roommate. With Jesse's girlfriend Michelle rounding out the group, Byron is sure the excursion will be a success. Things get tense when they near the cave, only to find that the way in is blocked. Byron stumbles on the entrance to a new cave, but the thrill of his discovery is overshadowed by Cole's increasingly strange behavior. Exploring a wild cave is always dangerous, but it becomes deadly as tempers fray and the water level inside the cave starts to rise. When an underground confrontation leaves his brother seriously injured, Byron has to make some life-or-death decisions—and every second counts.

Genres: Young Adult, Adventure

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Rachel Dunstan Muller is the mother of five and the author of four juvenile novels. If she's not researching or writing, you can probably find her hiking in the forests and mountains near her Vancouver Island home. She recently built a kayak and used it to explore the Broken Islands.

Reviews

[Diane Ferbrache]

I admit that I find most of the Orca publications uninteresting. In a quest to provide action-packed but easy reading, sometimes the stories lack the depth to keep my interest. This one was different. It's a suspenseful story of young people lost/trapped in a cave, and the characters and plot are interesting enough to keep me reading.

Byron and his older brother, Jesse, have been "caving" with their dad all of their lives. They set out to explore a new cave accompanied by Jesse's girlfriend and roommate. There's a sub-plot about a break-in at the college office where Michelle works. The roommate is acting suspiciously. They spend some time exploring and mapping the new cave before they become trapped. It's up to Byron to figure out a rescue. The storyline is pretty predictable, but still kept my interest. It's a short easy book, definitely worth the time.

[Tanja]

An action-packed adventure about four young people going on a caving trip together. While lots of danger lurks around every corner, the biggest threat comes from within the group. Will they be able to get out alive? I real page-turner. I decided to read this book because it seemed like a great title and yet got little attention in our library. I wanted to know why - and still don't know because it is a great book.

[Stephen]

It is great how the ending turned out. The thing is that it should have been a little more realistic though.

[Katie C.]

I thought that this book was very intriguing because pretty much every chapter ends in a cliffhanger.