Each title explores the challenges of surviving in a different environment, using true-life adventures as examples. Surviving the Swamp, for example, opens with a narrow escape from an alligator. Subsequent chapters look at how dangers such as dehydration, starvation, and predators come into play in each environment. Shorter stories of other survivors are neatly woven into the practical guidance, providing multiple instances in which real people applied those principles successfully. Nearly everyone makes it back to safety in the end. Survival tips addressed directly fit naturally into the narrative flow. Photographs support the content effectively; they include images of the survivors, the locations, and examples of survival-related resources like lean-tos (Rainforest) and snow caves (Arctic). VERDICT An engaging combination of true adventure and practical survival strategies for upper elementary-aged readers.