Book Review
Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

When the power goes out on PF Day (PF for Power Failure), Bracken, the main character in How I Became A Teenage Survivalist by Julie L. Casey, realizes that he is quite lucky. He lives on a farm with his family and they have everything they need to survive: their own vegetables and animals, and a will to adapt. And adapting is something that becomes very important when you have no power - which means there is no fridge to keep things cool, no lights, no heaters, and no video games. Bracken's family will have to learn to survive - not only will they have to become even more self-sufficient than before, there's also the problem with looters who would like to help themselves to whatever they can find.

Reading How I Became A Teenage Survivalist had a number of effects on me: it entertained me, it taught me about a variety of alternative power sources, and it kept me thinking about what I would do if something like the PF day ever happened to me. That's a whole heap of things for a book to do! Usually books either entertain or teach you - but only the really good ones combine this. Julie L. Casey did a great job. The book is well written and very well researched. If you manage to keep all of the information in your head, then you'll already have a few good pointers on what to do if you ever find yourself without power for a long time. But if you only look for entertainment, the book also delivers - it's really hard to put down.

Read more here: Readers' Favorite

I liked the book trailer for How I Became a Teenage Survivalist by Julie Casey. I think it brought everything you needed to be put into a standard book trailer especially for the young adult readers. A little suspense couldn’t hurt, but overall it look professional, the audio was clear, and the plot was easy to understand. The narrator’s voice was nice and the characters all gave a feeling of what it would be like to read the book.

It’s interesting to see a book asking young people to think about what they take advantage of. Whether young people want to read about this is another question.

Read more here: Bookkaholics.com

March 20, 2012
Only 500 of 10,000 entries (5%) advanced to the quarterfinals (see the list here). Here is what the Amazon and Publishers Weekly Reviewers had to say about the novel:

ABNA Expert Reviewer          
          Bracken is a most appealing narrator. The author has provided great insights into his character--his teenaged boy's reaction to Silky's short sweater, his resentment of his brother Alex--and leavens the seriousness of his predicament with a bit of humor. 
          I particularly like that the author set this story on a Midwest farm. Post-apocalyptic cities have been done to death and IMO, a rural community has much more story potential in the circumstances than endless garbage piling up on city streets.
          Sometimes this type of story can get tedious and depressing, but this author seems to have given Bracken a lightness of tone that promises a fresh and down to earth perspective on appalling circumstances.
          This is a very good beginning to a post-apocalyptic tale. The hero/narrator has a fresh, appealing voice, and the author allows the reader to discover the parameters of his predicament along with him. This reader looks forward to his further experiences.

ABNA Expert Reviewer
          The strongest part of this excerpt are the interesting twists on a semi-familiar "doomsday" scenario. It also helps that the main character is dynamic and can carry the story from the beginning.
          Overall this is a very interesting twist on the "doomsday" scenario. There are dynamic characters and the writing is very successful in sounding like a teenage boy. It is a story that pulls you in and makes you want to read more.

ABNA Publishers Weekly Reviewer
          In November 2012, the Midwest is hit with a solar superstorm, and 15-year-old Bracken and his family must figure out how to survive without electricity. “There are no phones, no TV, no video games, no lights to read by at night, not to mention no refrigeration, no microwave, and no cars after the gas ran out.” The story builds and is engrossing, and the situations are realistic. ... The appeal of this story is its simplicity and pacing.

How I Became a Teenage Survivalist previously published by Pants On Fire Press, now published by Amazing Things Press