Nora and her father, who are on the verge of dropping "off the grid" altogether after her mother is shot and killed in a random restaurant assault, go to a canyon in the Arizona desert to experience the beauty of it & get away from all the civilization that killed her mother. Nora wants to go to school, but her father won't allow it, not after what happened to her mom.
Except, canyons aren't so beautiful when it rains, out of sight, up-river, so to speak, especially if you're in the bottom of them. For all they appear dry, canyons in AZ almost always also carry water and concentrate the flow into tight spaces, between head-bashing rock walls. By their very nature, they're exceptionally dangerous.
Nora's washed away from her dad in a flash flood, losing most of her supplies in the process. She knows the Arizona dry sun and heat will suck the life out of her if she can't get help and fast. She's faced with a conundrum: does she try to get out of the canyon and get help? Will she survive the trek in full blazing sun if she does? Or does she face the demons of her mother's shooting and find her dad first, and trust somehow it will work out?
This is a quick, hour or so read, as it's in verse and it has a super-fast pace. It will interest struggling readers and fellow Arizonans, for whom the desert is a character all on its own.
Enjoy!
