The 2020 Carnegie Medal-shortlisted Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake (In Darkness) follows the otherworldly story of 16-year-old Emily Perez, her unusual little brother, Aidan, and rugged bush pilot Bob Simpson as they trek through the Alaskan wilderness in search of a remote satellite facility.
After a mysterious school fire derails her life, Emily runs away from home with her little brother in tow. Her bad luck turns worse when their plane crashes, leaving them hungry and freezing in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. If this weren't bad enough, mysterious men in black show up, shoot at her and attempt to kidnap her brother for government experimentation. Luckily, Emily has learned a few key survival skills from her military veteran father and her "yoga enthusiast, gym bunny" mother. Enlisting the help of their pilot, the charismatic and capable Bob Simpson, Emily will stop at nothing to protect her brother.
More than simply another action-packed science fiction story, Nowhere on Earth is an interesting exploration of individuality, family and how they often conflict. It is only through a combination of trials-by-fire in the harsh, cold mountains and the loving instruction of the cosmically wise Aidan that Emily begins to allow herself the freedom to make her own decisions and follow her passions rather than subverting her needs for her family's sake. Where others might be broken, Emily is reborn, stronger, braver and more decisively herself than ever before. --Cade Williams, freelance reviewer