All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Soontornvat, C. (2020). All thirteen: the incredible cave rescue of the Thai boys’ soccer team. MA:
Candlewick. ISBN 9781536209457
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twelve Thai boys and their coach become trapped in a cave when rising floodwaters block their way out. Experts from Thailand and all over the world are called in to help develop a plan on how to get these boys and their coach out of the cave.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This novel is one that will be hard to put down and will leave you still talking about it even when you are finished. How these twelve boys and their coach made it of the cave in time and survived is miraculous. The writing in this informational novel is meticulous. The author broke it down into different chapters and subchapters. Each chapter is cleverly named, and it is clear from the name what the chapter will discuss.
The author does a good job of making very technical terms and situations easy to understand. In the chapter about the water expert, it says, “The current pumping situation is similar to trying to drain a child’s swimming pool with a straw while the hose is on full blast.” Analogies like these make it easy for the general public to not only understand what is happening but to see how difficult and dangerous the situation is.
Photographs are included throughout the novel which allows the reader to get a glimpse of the people involved in the rescue process. There are even pictures of the waterproof pad and the notes the kids wrote to their parents.
The message in this book was clear in the end. Never give up hope even in dire situations. The boys and the coach trapped in the cave were so resilient; people around the world could not believe how they were alive after nine days and still were so positive.
The author’s note describes how she became interested in writing this story, the depth of research she went to, and how she came to meet all 13 boys. She traveled to the cave which she mentions was still flooded seven months after the boys were rescued. She did extensive interviews with many who were involved and was dedicated to making sure that everyone who helped was acknowledged in the book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2021 Newbery Honor Book
2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
2021 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
2021 Orbis Pictus Honor Book
Booklist, starred review: “Soontornvat selects details and measures her pacing with the practiced hand of a master storyteller, and while everything is supported by meticulous research, the prose never suffers from information density; rather, every aside—whether on hypothermia, ketamine, or Navy SEAL training—adds tension through understanding. Readers who already know the outcome will nonetheless be enthralled by this singular tale that captures the importance of STEM education, the beauty of Thailand, and the best of humanity—collaboration, innovation, sacrifice, family, and love.”
The Horn Book: “In lucid prose written in third-person-present tense for a heightened sense of immediacy, Soontornvat gives readers a journalistic account of the difficulty and complexity of the rescue effort. Using interviews and other primary sources, she keeps a tight focus on the unfolding story, with its inherent edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-throat drama, adroitly juggling a parade of characters, clearly laying out the technical and engineering challenges, and judiciously parsing out expository information in the occasional sidebar.”
Kirkus Reviews,starred review: “An in-depth account of a harrowing real-life mission that succeeds against all odds...Masterful storytelling fleshes out the complex human emotions behind key decisions, illuminates diplomatic and political negotiations, and underscores an unwavering faith—in maintaining hope and in harnessing powers of the mind. Thoughtfully researched, expertly crafted.”
Publisher’s Weekly starred review: “In her nonfiction debut, Soontornvat (Simon at the Art Museum) presents a well-researched, comprehensive look at the 2018 rescue of the Wild Boars juvenile soccer team from Thailand’s flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave...Soontornvat delivers humanizing coverage of a harrowing event, attempting to decenter Western media’s lens with great success.”
School Library Journal, starred review: “Soontornvat’s narrative nonfiction account shares these events and those that led to the rescue along with intricate details about caverns, sump diving, and other scientific details that emphasize the harrowing conditions of the rescue. She also touches on Thai culture, immigration issues, Buddhism, and religion...This stellar nonfiction work reads like a heart-pounding adventure story. Every library should have a copy.”
5. CONNECTIONS
Other books about survival:
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