Sole Survivor
Oct 2025 · Sold by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
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About this ebook
“Sole Survivor is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride right from page one. A real-life Hatchet for a new generation. You gotta read it to believe it!” —Alan Gratz, New York Times–bestselling author of Refugee and Heroes
“Inspirational, propulsive, and unforgettable. This one leaves a mark.” —Lamar Giles, author of The Getaway and Ruin Road
This riveting 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 situations. 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 the small plane Norman and his dad are aboard is engulfed by a snowstorm and crashes in the San Gabriel Mountains—with deadly consequences. Struggling in and out of lucidity, haunted by the voices and memories from difficult moments in his past, Norman must decide what to do while trapped eight thousand feet above sea level, facing dangers unlike any he has encountered before.
Inspired by the harrowing true childhood experience of author Norman Ollestad, this astonishing, action-packed story, co-written with Brendan Kiely, is about fear, survival, and 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.
“Inspirational, propulsive, and unforgettable. This one leaves a mark.” —Lamar Giles, author of The Getaway and Ruin Road
This riveting 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 situations. 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 the small plane Norman and his dad are aboard is engulfed by a snowstorm and crashes in the San Gabriel Mountains—with deadly consequences. Struggling in and out of lucidity, haunted by the voices and memories from difficult moments in his past, Norman must decide what to do while trapped eight thousand feet above sea level, facing dangers unlike any he has encountered before.
Inspired by the harrowing true childhood experience of author Norman Ollestad, this astonishing, action-packed story, co-written with Brendan Kiely, is about fear, survival, and 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.
“Sole Survivor is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride right from page one. A real-life Hatchet for a new generation. You gotta read it to believe it!” —Alan Gratz, New York Times–bestselling author of Refugee and Heroes
“Inspirational, propulsive, and unforgettable. This one leaves a mark.” —Lamar ...
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About the author
Norman Ollestad is the New York Times–bestselling author of Crazy for the Storm; Gravity; French Girl with Mother; and Formentera, an Audible Original short story. His work has appeared in TIME, Outside, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Ojai, California with his family.
Brendan Kiely is the award-winning and New York Times–bestselling author of the novels All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), Tradition, The Last True Love Story, and The Gospel of Winter, and the critically acclaimed nonfiction book, The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege. He is the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Seton Hall University and he lives with his family in New York City.
Norman Ollestad is the New York Times–bestselling author of Crazy for the Storm; Gravity; French Girl with Mother; and Formentera, an Audible Original short story. His work has appeared in TIME, Outside, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Ojai, California with his family.
Brendan Kiely is the award-...
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