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All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
by Christina Soontornvat
When I do was doing my MiddleGradeMay challenge, I looked up some MG non-fiction (as I still want my Storygraph Pie chart to have some variety) and found this book recommended. I vaguely remember hearing about the situation in real time, and thought the Amazon movie "All Thirteen" was very well done. Funny, how with that movie, and this book, even knowing that all thirteen (12 boys and their coach) make it out alive, how stressful both presentations are!
This IS written for younger kids, which might be a turn off for some adults. It's not only the language and tone, but there are actually parts where the young reader is addressed (ie "The first time you entered your school building and had to find your classroom, you probably felt a little overwhelmed.") BUT ... this old lady ended up getting sucked in regardless. The movie showcased both the work on the outside (trying to divert what rainwater they could) and the rescue teams (focusing mostly on the experts that had flown in from various places). Here, we got that, and more of the story of the boys themselves, and some additional background.
Third person - Present tense. The present tense was an interesting choice (I personally really don't care for present tense, especially 3rd person). I must admit here, it did give the "story" a sense of immediate action. Effective.
I had this in both audio (AudibleExclusive, picked up during a sale) and Kindle (library borrow). I think the physical book would be nice too, as there are quite a few color pictures and charts. I went primarily with the audio, but looked through the Kindle on my computer.
Taking place in Thailand - a lot of the names can be a challenge for English speakers. This was especially notable in the audio. The narrator tended to try for pronunciation/accent on the names, which made them almost impossible for me to remember, even catch in audio ... whereas I could read/remember them more easily in print (the boys ... Coach Ek, Note, Night, Thi, Tern, Nic, Mix, Adul, Titan, Mark, Pong, Dom, Bew. Quite a few other names mentioned too, and I have to admit, I won't remember any of them, but looking some up in Kindle ... Governor Narongsak, Paochinda, Thanet Natisri, Woranan "Tik" Ratrawiphakkun, Colonel Singhanat, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Admiral apakorn Yuukongkaaew, Nopparat Kanthawong, Nikornchai Phopluechai ... I mean, I have to give kudos to the narrator because name pronunciation would be quite the challenge! It was easier to remember the more "English" sounding names (Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Richard Harris, Chris Jewell, Mason Mallinson ...) although please don't give me a test on the material ;)
In audio, I REALLY wish the author would step up and read the Author's Notes herself. I realize it's easier to just have the narrator do it, but it's so much more personal when I hear notes from the author, in their voice. Especially when I hear a man's voice saying "As a mother ..." my brain just rebels ...
I appreciate a nice Table of Contents ...
1. A Typical Saturday The Boys of the Wild Boars
This Is Mae Sai
2. A Sky Full of Water
3. The Cave of the Sleeping Lady Tham Luang Cave System with Cross Sections
4. First on the Scene
5. Trapped A Cave Is Born A Karst Cave System
6. The Cave Man
7. The Dangers of Cave Diving Rules to Dive By
8. Empty Bellies, Clear Minds Meditation
9. At War with the Water
10. The Problem Solvers The Spirits Around Us
11. The Sump Divers
12. Coach Ek
Thailand’s Stateless People
Buddhism in Thailand
13. The Water Expert
14. The Rescue Stalls
Stay Cool
15. The Beautiful Game
Stages of Hypothermia
16. Going Back In
17. Creating a Diversion
18. One Last Try
Rebreathe, Reuse, Recycle
19. “Brilliant”
20. Now What?
21. The Get-It-Done Crew
22. Panic
23. A Tragic Loss
24. Risking It All
25. A Very Important Meeting
Tham Luang Dive-Rescue Plan
26. Stage One: Rehearsals
Practice Makes Perfect
27. Stage Two: “Today Is D-Day”
Fall Asleep, Wake Up in Bed
28. Alone in the Dark
29. Mission Possible How the Rescuers Got the Boys Out
30. The Sleeping Lady Has the Final Say
31. It Should Not Have Worked
The little "extra" chapters/headers were associated sections giving more detail on specific things ...
The audio was good, and I have more "ear" time than eye time - but one definitely needs to check out the print book (Kindle - in color, or physical book) for the photographs and to see the names in print.
Author’s Note, Acknowledgments, Source Notes, Bibliography, Image Credits
This IS written for younger kids, which might be a turn off for some adults. It's not only the language and tone, but there are actually parts where the young reader is addressed (ie "The first time you entered your school building and had to find your classroom, you probably felt a little overwhelmed.") BUT ... this old lady ended up getting sucked in regardless. The movie showcased both the work on the outside (trying to divert what rainwater they could) and the rescue teams (focusing mostly on the experts that had flown in from various places). Here, we got that, and more of the story of the boys themselves, and some additional background.
Third person - Present tense. The present tense was an interesting choice (I personally really don't care for present tense, especially 3rd person). I must admit here, it did give the "story" a sense of immediate action. Effective.
I had this in both audio (AudibleExclusive, picked up during a sale) and Kindle (library borrow). I think the physical book would be nice too, as there are quite a few color pictures and charts. I went primarily with the audio, but looked through the Kindle on my computer.
Taking place in Thailand - a lot of the names can be a challenge for English speakers. This was especially notable in the audio. The narrator tended to try for pronunciation/accent on the names, which made them almost impossible for me to remember, even catch in audio ... whereas I could read/remember them more easily in print (the boys ... Coach Ek, Note, Night, Thi, Tern, Nic, Mix, Adul, Titan, Mark, Pong, Dom, Bew. Quite a few other names mentioned too, and I have to admit, I won't remember any of them, but looking some up in Kindle ... Governor Narongsak, Paochinda, Thanet Natisri, Woranan "Tik" Ratrawiphakkun, Colonel Singhanat, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Admiral apakorn Yuukongkaaew, Nopparat Kanthawong, Nikornchai Phopluechai ... I mean, I have to give kudos to the narrator because name pronunciation would be quite the challenge! It was easier to remember the more "English" sounding names (Rick Stanton, John Volanthen, Richard Harris, Chris Jewell, Mason Mallinson ...) although please don't give me a test on the material ;)
In audio, I REALLY wish the author would step up and read the Author's Notes herself. I realize it's easier to just have the narrator do it, but it's so much more personal when I hear notes from the author, in their voice. Especially when I hear a man's voice saying "As a mother ..." my brain just rebels ...
I appreciate a nice Table of Contents ...
1. A Typical Saturday The Boys of the Wild Boars
This Is Mae Sai
2. A Sky Full of Water
3. The Cave of the Sleeping Lady Tham Luang Cave System with Cross Sections
4. First on the Scene
5. Trapped A Cave Is Born A Karst Cave System
6. The Cave Man
7. The Dangers of Cave Diving Rules to Dive By
8. Empty Bellies, Clear Minds Meditation
9. At War with the Water
10. The Problem Solvers The Spirits Around Us
11. The Sump Divers
12. Coach Ek
Thailand’s Stateless People
Buddhism in Thailand
13. The Water Expert
14. The Rescue Stalls
Stay Cool
15. The Beautiful Game
Stages of Hypothermia
16. Going Back In
17. Creating a Diversion
18. One Last Try
Rebreathe, Reuse, Recycle
19. “Brilliant”
20. Now What?
21. The Get-It-Done Crew
22. Panic
23. A Tragic Loss
24. Risking It All
25. A Very Important Meeting
Tham Luang Dive-Rescue Plan
26. Stage One: Rehearsals
Practice Makes Perfect
27. Stage Two: “Today Is D-Day”
Fall Asleep, Wake Up in Bed
28. Alone in the Dark
29. Mission Possible How the Rescuers Got the Boys Out
30. The Sleeping Lady Has the Final Say
31. It Should Not Have Worked
The little "extra" chapters/headers were associated sections giving more detail on specific things ...
The audio was good, and I have more "ear" time than eye time - but one definitely needs to check out the print book (Kindle - in color, or physical book) for the photographs and to see the names in print.
Author’s Note, Acknowledgments, Source Notes, Bibliography, Image Credits