10 books like Miracle in the Andes

The reasons I personally recommend this book are because it is a true-to-life story which makes the characters so much more real as they come across just like you or me with many good characteristics, while also demonstrating a lot of real human flaws. It is not about the 2,000-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail, but it is rather about the people who accomplish this amazing feat while in the untamed wilderness, preparing to face the real world now called home - all over again.

Mountaineering attracts people of lionlike courage. What of the people who wait for them at home? When Maria Coffey started dating a climber, she found herself part of an exclusive club…and she soon needed them more than ever after her partner was lost in an accident. As she struggles through her bereavement she examines the adventuring nature, and the bravery needed to make a life with such a person.

The very idea that someone could abandon modern life and live for so long in the middle of a wood in Maine, in the USA, for close to 30 years, without being found, I find incredible. What Christopher Knight decided to do here isn’t a million miles from Chris McCandless in my earlier book recommendation, but he lasted a lot longer and was undoubtedly more successful. It takes a very special kind of person to become a true hermit, but at some time in our lives, almost all of us will wonder what it’s like to disappear, just to leave everything behind and live the most simplest and natural of lives. Christopher may well not be the last hermit – we’ll never know how many are out there, if we’re honest – but what he achieved makes for fascinating reading, a chance to taste what this sort of mystical life… show more.

I love it when words and photos enhance each other in a book. Martijn Doolaard wrote and photographed his epic solo journey on his bike from Amsterdam, through Europe, through the middle east, and into the far east. It is one of the rare coffee table books that I actually read and love revisiting frequently to look at the beautiful photos.

Tracey Garvis Graves writes amazing, deeply moving books. I have read everything she publishes and recommend them constantly.

This one was her first and it has stayed with me ever since I read it. Two people, a plane crash, and a deserted island. Talk about different! I couldn’t put it down! What it took to survive and the forbidden love that develops is a story that stayed with me for a long time. If you are a romance novel addict, this novel should be on your shelf, and I know it will become one of your all-time favorites. I can’t say enough about this book or its wonderful, creative author.

In addition to the love of deserts I mention in my next recommendation, I’ve enjoyed rock climbing and a bit of slot-canyon hiking, which is what initially drew me to this book set in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. The thrilling survival story kept me turning the pages. Plus much of this book is written in verse, which makes it a quick, intense read. It does include references to Nora’s loss of a loved one in a mass shooting, so it may not be appropriate for all readers. But those who’ve lost someone suddenly (like me) will fully relate to Nora’s grief and the way she fights back toward her life.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Ashley goes into the Smokies to camp out for a night with her friends, but ends up getting lost and injured and has to figure out how to survive with only the clothes she’s wearing and a crushed, infected foot. Mindy McGinnis is an expert wordsmith, and she paints a brutally real picture of what it would be like to survive in the woods in Ashley’s situation. Ashley is stubborn, smart, and a survivor. It hurt sometimes, but I could not stop reading about her and marveling at her strength. 

Louise Welsh has written three novels about a pandemic called the Sweats – her Plague Times trilogy. This is the second book in the series. I particularly liked this one because its protagonist, Magnus, is a Scottish not-very-good stand-up comedian, and I too was once a not-very-good aspiring comic! After a series of unfortunate events, Magnus ends up in prison, where the disease is rife. Breaking out, he decides to make for his childhood home on Orkney, accompanied by fellow escapee Jeb. The fast-moving plot will keep you racing through this book.

A page-turning, true-life adventure! The story is told in first-person verse by 13-year-old Ken Sparks whose parents send him from England to Canada at the start of the Blitz as part of the British government’s ill-fated child evacuee program. Five days into the crossing, his ship, the SS Benares, is torpedoed by a German U-Boat, and as it sinks fast, Ken finds himself in a lifeboat with five other boys fighting for their lives. I read this book and loved it from page one. Although they come from very different backgrounds, Ken and Käfer share endearing qualities: pluck, resourcefulness, and a child’s optimistic view of the world. All of which stand them in good stead.

Felix and Zelda have the purest, most joyful, and endearing childhood friendship… set against a horrific time in human history, the Holocaust.

I read this series out aloud to my boys (ages 9 to 12). I wanted to let them learn the history in a way that was age appropriate. Gleitzman delivers spectacularly!

This book doesn’t gloss over anything. It’s all there on the page to interpret. The children in the story are sometimes naively unaware of what some of their observations and experiences mean, making it so powerful to read as an adult—and a great conversation starter for kids.

Felix’s positive thinking and quick wit, used to deflect even the most atrocious characters, were the biggest takeaways for us as a family.