From the acclaimed author of Run comes this exhilarating survivalist novel about 13-year-old Max, who is home alone when a tsunami warning hits his coastal town.

Max loves surfing, the beach, and the chilled-out island he calls home – and he doesn’t love all the tourists that swarm his peaceful beach town every summer. But when a warning comes that an unexpected tsunami is just hours away, Max is home on his own and he can’t find his beloved dog Ralph. 

With precious time ticking away and people speeding past him out of town, Max is running out of time to get to higher ground.  Ultimately, he will have to choose between trying to survive a tsunami on his own, or banding together with whatever strangers are left behind in his town, even if they’re tourists. And he’d better hurry, because the tsunami is going to hit any moment …

Perfect for fans of Tristan Bancks and Katherine Rundell, this gripping novel explores courage, misplaced loyalty and survival in the face of disaster.

Ideal for readers who:

• Are aged 9–14 and love high-stakes adventure set in the real world.
• Want high-stakes/high intrigue plots without too much grit or violence.
• Are fans of suspenseful novels such as Tristan Bancks's Scar Town and Bren Macdibble's The Dog Runner.
• Are book clubs, teachers and educators wanting a page-turner that also has meaningful themes for discussion

Praise for Sarah Armstrong:

• ‘Brilliant and original! Gritty characters, a wild setting, action, suspense – I was hooked from the start.’ –KATRINA NANNESTAD, multi-award-winning author of We Are Wolves
• ‘A wild survival story that treks along at a cracking pace – I read this in one sitting.’ –BREN MACDIBBLE, award-winning author of The Dog Runner
• ‘What a wild ride! I was on the edge of my seat until the end.’ –KAREN FOXLEE, multi-award-winning author of Dragon Skin