All Thirteen - Christina Soontornvat

⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

I haven't read a lot of books like this (narrative non-fiction that focuses on one real event), so I can't really judge how well the author did in this genre, but I loved this book. It's one of the most feel-good stories that has happened in the past few years, where 12 young boys and their soccer coach got stuck in a flooded cave for over two weeks while so many people worked to get them out. And all thirteen survived!

Even knowing how this story would end, and that all of the kids would survive, I was glued to the book as soon as I started, because it's clear how much the odds are stacked against them. This book was technically written for middle grade kids, but the author did a great job making it understandable for them while not talking down at all, and including all necessary details. The book is filled with pictures and diagrams to help the reader understand how impossible this rescue should have been, plus lots of extra sections with background information about caves, Thai culture, and diving. I loved the focus on not only the boys and the divers, but also the people in the background, the planners and the unsung heroes, like the translators, the people providing food, and the people working the pumps. She included things I wouldn't have thought about, like the difficulties of communication between the Thai people and the Westerners.

I love this story, and maybe I would have loved any book about it, but I thought it was really, really well done. I will be thinking about it for a long time.