All 13 Book Review: 5/5

    Do you like caves? Maybe you're interested in the science of how they are formed. Or perhaps the beautiful stalactites inside. One regular day in 2018, a group of teenagers and their soccer coach went on a quick trip to visit the Tham Luang cave in Northern Thailand. On this particular day, it was early in the monsoon season and little did the Wild Boars soccer team know that while they were inside exploring, it would start raining outside, causing the cave to flood, trapping them inside. Christina Soontornvat wrote a wonderful book including the story of their incredible rescue titled, "All 13."

    The book begins hours before the soccer team heads to the cave. It starts with the story of the soccer team, and their plan to spend a few hours exploring the cave so they would make it back for one of the team member's birthday party. Christina writes the perspective of the parents and how they feel after they find out their children are missing. She also explains the science behind how the cave flooded and how the officials were able to rescue the boys. Soontornvat describes each of the many experts who were flown in to try to figure out how to rescue the boys. In the end, they flew in British divers who managed to find the boys, deliver food, and give them medical checks. After about two weeks, a few more divers were flown in and they were able to rescue all of the boys. It took days, each of the four divers taking one boy per day. Long grueling hours of diving in and diving out with a boy, under anesthesia. It took almost a full day for them to rescue just four team members. With horrible visibility, only their tank for air, and many other struggles, today, all of the Wild Boars soccer team is doing well.

    I think this book was a great read and definitely interesting. As something I wouldn't usually read, it was a book I was surprised I liked so much. I could barely put it down. I personally don't like science very much, yet this book wasn't just about the science, like I assumed it would be. It included many stories from along the way. The book featured many pictures, which gives a good visual. I liked all the description and all the geography Christina used, giving the writing some spice. Overall, I think this book was amazing! If I had to rate it, I would give it a five out of five. It wasn't the best book I have ever read, but it was a good one, especially for its genre. This book has given me a greater interest in caves and in Thailand.

Written by: Hailey Hoskins