What the Other Three Don't Know

by Spencer Hyde

Overview

If Indie had it her way, she would never choose to river raft with three other high school seniors, mostly strangers to each other, from her journalism class.

A loner, a jock, an outsider, and Instagram influencer. At first they can’t see anything that they have in common. As the trip unfolds, the unpredictable river forces them to rely on each other. Social masks start to fall as, one-by-one, each teen reveals a deep secret the other three don’t know.

One is harboring immense grief and unwilling to forgive after the death of a loved one. One is dealing with a new disability and an uncertain future. One is fearful of the repercussions of coming out. One is hiding behind a carefully curated “perfect” image on Instagram.

Before they get to the end of Hells Canyon, they’ll know the truth about each other and, more importantly, learn something new about themselves.

What the Other Three Don't Know is a poignant and gripping young adult novel about the unlikely friends who accept you for who you really are and the power of self-acceptance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629738857
Publisher:	Deseret Book Company
Publication date:	03/03/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	766 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Spencer Hyde worked at a residential treatment center with teenagers and later worked at a therapeutic boarding school before earning his MFA and his PhD specializing in fiction writing. He also rafts the Snake River every year, giving him real-life experiences which impacted the writing of this YA novel. Spencer is also the author of the YA novel Waiting for Fitz. He is a professor of creative writing and literature. Spencer and his wife, Brittany, are the parents of four children.
 

Editorial Reviews

02/07/2020

Gr 8 Up—Indie's forced to go rafting for her journalism class with three other high school seniors—on the same river that killed her mother. The students don't have much in common but do begin to bond. A bear eats their food the first night, making meals uncomfortably small until the check-in point. Unfortunately, before the teens can reach it, the river turns deadly. The five-day trip becomes a nightmare when rapids and flash flooding threaten everyone. Now the group will have to work together if they want to get out of Hell's Canyon alive. The first three-quarters of the book focus on character development, as readers learn about the secrets kept by each member of the group, but the action picks up later. Grief, physical disabilities, family drama, sexual identity, forgiveness, and survival skills all play a role in shaping the characters. As secret after secret is revealed, each character finds release, and a chance to embrace a more authentic self. VERDICT This novel is The Breakfast Club meets 127 Hours. Recommended for libraries in need of adventure stories.—Jennifer Rummel, Cragin Library, Colchester, CT

School Library Journal

2019-12-08
Four teens forced to spend a week river rafting find friendship through extreme circumstances in this The Breakfast Club-meets-the outdoors adventure.

Indie, 17 and cynical, likes having options, and right now, she has two: spend a week rafting the same rapids that killed her mother or forfeit her chance to take the journalism class that might launch her out of Tetonia, Idaho. Begrudgingly, she goes along only to find her crew for the next week are Skye, the star soccer player with a prosthetic leg who's been MIA for the past year; Shelby, the seemingly vain girl who only cares about getting social media followers; and doomsday prepper Wyatt, whose family's trailer is near hers. Already expecting the week from hell, she sees Nash, the man responsible for her mother's death, who is to be their guide. Each teen reveals hidden aspects of themselves, bringing them closer just in time for a harrowing ending. This fast-paced first-person narrative is filled with copious references, often poetic, to rafting, fishing, and physics that readers may find overwhelming if they are not familiar with the subjects. Indie's narrative is the only one that is fully fleshed out; the other three just barely break the surface. The messages of being your whole self and facing problems head-on are reinforced often and without subtlety. All characters are assumed white except brown-skinned Skye.

A lackluster attempt at a commonplace narrative. (discussion questions) (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews