All Thirteen

This article is about the 2020 children's book. For the event it is based on, see Tham Luang cave rescue.
All Thirteen
Book cover depicting three images from the cave rescue
AuthorChristina Soontornvat
LanguageEnglish
PublisherCandlewick Press
Publication date
October 13, 2020
Publication placeUnited States
Pages288
AwardsNewbery Honor, Sibert Honor
ISBN978-1-5362-0945-7
OCLC1228486011
Websitesoontornvat.com/books/all-thirteen

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team is a 2020 nonfiction children's book by American author Christina Soontornvat. It describes the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue. The book received positive reviews from critics and was awarded a Newbery Honor and a Sibert Honor in 2021.

Synopsis

The book recounts the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, in which 12 boys on a soccer team and their coach were rescued after they were trapped in the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave.[1] It includes scientific information related to the rescue, including details on caverns and diving, and features photographs and maps of the region.[2]

Background and publication

Soontornvat was visiting family in northern Thailand when the Tham Luang cave story was first reported.[2] According to Soontornvat, upon returning to the United States, she noticed that media coverage was portraying the situation through a predominantly Western lens and decided to tell the story incorporating a Thai perspective. She returned to Thailand two months after the final rescue to interview the volunteers who helped with the rescue efforts, with her father acting as her translator.[3]

The book was published by Candlewick Press on October 13, 2020.[1] The audiobook version was narrated by Quincy Surasmith.[4]

Reception

All Thirteen: The Incredible Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team garnered positive reviews from critics. It received starred reviews from Booklist,[5] The Horn Book Magazine,[6] Kirkus Reviews,[1] Publishers Weekly,[7] and School Library Journal.[2]

Kirkus Reviews praised the storytelling as "masterful" and "expertly crafted".[1] Publishers Weekly noted that "Soontornvat delivers humanizing coverage of a harrowing event, attempting to decenter Western media’s lens with great success."[7] In a review for Booklist, Ronny Khuri wrote that "Soontornvat selects details and measures her pacing with the practiced hand of a skilled storyteller."[5] V. Lynn Christiansen of School Library Journal compared it to "a heart-pounding adventure story."[2] Jonathan Hunt, writing for The Horn Book Magazine, praised the "lucid prose" and wrote that Soontornvat "keeps a tight focus on the unfolding story".[6]

Accolades for All Thirteen
Year Accolade Result Ref.
2021 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature Winner [8]
Newbery Medal Honor [9]
Sibert Medal Honor [10]
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist [10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "All Thirteen". Kirkus Reviews. August 18, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Christiansen, V. Lynn (September 1, 2020). "All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team". School Library Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Blank, Gwen (December 1, 2020). "Saving All Thirteen". Trinity University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Cole, Sonja (January 28, 2021). "ALA Awards on Audio: 2021 Odyssey and Newbery Winners". AudioFile. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Khuri, Ronny (August 2020). "All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team". Booklist. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Hunt, Jonathan (November 4, 2020). "Review of All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team". The Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team". Publishers Weekly. November 5, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 Winners". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "WHS graduate and author gains two Newbery Honors". Weatherford Democrat. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Yorio, Kara (January 25, 2021). "'When You Trap a Tiger' Wins Newbery, 'We Are Water Protectors' Earns Caldecott at 2021 YMAs". School Library Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2021.