I Am Still Alive

Written by Kate Alice Marshall

Narrated by Amy McFadden

After: Jess is alone. Her cabin has burned to the ground. She knows if she doesn't act fast, the cold will kill her before she has time to worry about food. But she is still alive—for now.



Before: Jess hadn't seen her survivalist, off-the-grid dad in over a decade. But after a car crash killed her mother and left her injured, she was forced to move to his cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness. Just as Jess was beginning to get to know him, a secret from his past paid them a visit, leaving her father dead and Jess stranded.



After: With only her father's dog for company, Jess must forage and hunt for food, build shelter, and keep herself warm. Some days it feels like the wild is out to destroy her, but she's stronger than she ever imagined.



Jess will survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father . . . and she wants revenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541449268

Kate Alice Marshall

Kate Alice Marshall is the USA Today bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods, No One Can Know, A Killing Cold, and multiple novels for younger readers. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

Reviews for I Am Still Alive

[Bethany Bin Daar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this so much. The story and writing were great and the narration was perfect.

[Omer Daniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A terrific book that left me with so many feelings. The narrator did an amazing job.

[Krysten Ervin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was intriguing, and it didn't do as much in the "revenge" lane as I wanted it to, but the survival aspects were great! I've been super into these kind of books lately! If you liked this you should check out: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis.

[Lydia Carr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A very "meh" kind of book. Gratuitous animal death; unsympathetic characters; a dragging plot and an unsatisfactory ending.

[PDB BearPottery Art · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding book. Loved it. Highly recommend for all ages. Patty

[Olivia Nahmias · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This books starts out a little slow and long, but towards the end I was so emotionally involved and stretched onto the edge of my seat.
Loved the read, loved the narration.

[yourotherleft_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jess is still recovering from the injuries she received in the car crash that killed her mother when she arrives in the remote Canadian wilderness to live with her estranged father. When the unthinkable happens, she and her dad‘s dog are left to fend for themselves. I found Jess to be a compelling character and really enjoyed this fast-paced, thrilling story of survival against the odds.

[okies-600424 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting survival story but I felt something lacking in the writing. Maybe it is the narrator, Amy McFadden, who doesn't get it quite right.

[kimpiddington · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kept me turning the pages.

[jonez-6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.25

I love both a good survival story. This was a great one.

[janarose1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After losing her mother in a car accident, and trying to recover from her own horrible injuries, Jess is sent to Alaska to live with her father off the grid. When he is murdered and the cabin burned to the ground, Jess barely escapes. The reality of her situation quickly hits, and she realizes everything she has to do to survive.

This was a really great book. The Before and After that the author used worked well to build up the story line. I thought Jess was a very interesting character, one I found myself able to relate and connect with. Overall, 5 stars!

[susangeiss · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A superb book! I finished it in a day. This is one you cannot put down. The author fills this book with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and harsh way of life off the grid. I could picture the lake, cabin and wild expansive wilderness. My heart was stolen by this 16 year old who had to manage it all, plus some. I fell in love with the wolf-dog who became her fierce protector and dear friend. This is a book you will not be able to put down. At least I couldn't.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the DRC. I loved this book!

[shellypya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stranded alone in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness, Jess is determined to survive and seek revenge on her father's murderers.

[dcoward_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hated the unnecessary ending.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved loved loved this book.
First of all, I loved that Jess wasn’t a wilderness wonder woman but a real breathing human with a bum leg. I also liked that she had to struggle and almost died several times. And of course, because I’m the kind of woman whose 85 lb dog sleeps on my bed, I also loved Bo. Mostly I loved that she made lots of mistakes... easy mistakes that anyone could make - it made the book so much better for me.
The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that there wasn’t any reference made to the crate full of money, and I really really wanted Jess to do something with that money. I’m not sure what I wanted her to do but I wanted her to do something.
I guarantee that this will fly off my classroom shelf.
If you grew up loving Hatchet... this is the high school, more mature version of Hatchet; much edgier, much more violent, more gruesome but gripping and fast paced.

[billsearth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fiction is a thriller. The plot, especially at the detail level, is the weak point. It is not very believable and is very contorted. But the author's writing style goes a long way in making it a page turner.
Underlying thoughts are that you can often succeed doing something very difficult if you just try. Also,there is a side theme of dogs as dependable companions.

The author often has the main character state " be smart, not strong", and to always have a plan, with priorities embedded.

This is an excellent summer read.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book well enough. I decided to read this book because the premise sounded rather interesting. Having never read this author before, I really didn't go into the book with too many expectations. I found it to be a pretty easy read that I did enjoy. I did feel like there was something missing from the story that could have taken it to the next level for me but I am glad that I took a chance and decided to read this one.

Jess has not had it easy lately. She was recently in an automobile accident with her mother. Her mother did not survive the accident and Jess sustained some pretty serious injuries. She has spent time in the hospital recovering and was eventually placed with a foster family. Eventually she is sent to be with her father who has not played much of a role in her life and lives off the grid.

There is no way that Jess could have prepared herself for living with her father. He lives in a tiny cabin in the middle of the woods in Canada along with his dog, Bo. He has very few connections to the outside world and lives off of the land. When Jess arrives, he starts to show her some of the skills she will need to know in her new home. Jess really doesn't have a lot of interest in learning the things her father is trying to teach her and is mad at the whole situation.

The book is written as Jess's journal and starts out with alternating chapters of before and after which I thought worked really well. It becomes quite obvious that this have taken a wrong turn very early in the book but it does take some time to find out exactly what did happen. This is a story of survival. Jess finds herself alone in the woods with no shelter, few supplies, and not a lot of skill with only a dog as support. I did like Jess as a character. I felt so bad for Jess and her desperation feels very authentic. She has a lot of small victories and quite a few set backs, all of which could prove to be fatal.

I would recommend this book to fans of survival stories. Jess is a tough character that is working hard to survive in a nearly impossible situation. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Kate Alice Marshall's work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Viking Books for Young Readers via First to Read.