Start with high-confidence survival stories books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
Banner in the Sky
James Ramsey Ullman
Redwall
Brian Jacques, Gary Chalk
The Tear Collector
R. M. Romero
The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
Black Star, Bright Dawn
Scott O'Dell, Scott O'Dell
A Marriage at Sea
Sophie Elmhirst
Northwind
Gary Paulsen
Beautiful Boy (tie-in)
David Sheff
Two Degrees
Alan Gratz
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Andrew Peterson, Listening Library
Hatchet
Survivor Kid
Denise Long
The Greatest Survival Stories of All Time
Cara Tabachnick
