Shipwreck (novel)

Shipwreck is a 2001 novel written by Canadian author Gordon Korman. It tells the story of six children who are on a ship traveling because they have been in trouble with the law or have been sent by their families, a program called "Charting a New Course." Their captain is supposedly "drowned" and their first-mate leaves them, "stranded". The ship's engine explodes and suddenly sinks and the children are stranded on an island.

Summary

We are introduced at the beginning of the novel to the six troubled children who are part of a new scheme called 'Charting a New Course', or CNC, an extensive program that removes troubled children from society and forces them to cope with hardship and problem-solving aboard the Pheonix, a ship headed for Guam. There they supposedly learn the values of teamwork. They are the sibling rivals Will, 13, and Lyssa, 12, Greenfield; framed felon Luke Haggerty, 13; exercise addict Charla Swann, 12; Discovery Channel-dependent and cough potato Ian Sikorsky, 11; and rich, famous Hollywood director son, attention seeking J.J. Lane, 14. On the way to Guam, a severe storm hits, seriously damaging the ship and washing the captain overboard. He is later presumed dead. They are abandoned by the ship's first mate, Mr. Radford, when the ship, day by day, begins to flood. After a failed attempt to repair the broken engine, resulting in an explosion that burns and sinks the ship, Luke, Charla, Ian, and Will find themselves deserted on an island after a week of drifting on a piece of wreckage from the ship. The status of Lyssa and J.J. are unknown, and are presumed dead by the others. Will is unconscious upon arrival at the island. Parched with thirst and hunger, Ian, Charla, and Luke prepare to scour the nearby jungle for food.