''All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team'' is a 2020

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

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. It includes scientific information related to the rescue, including details on caverns and diving, and features photographs and maps of the region.

Background and publication

Soontornvat was visiting family in northern Thailand when the Tham Luang cave story was first reported. 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. The book was published by Candlewick Press on October 13, 2020. The audiobook version was narrated by Quincy Surasmith.

Reception

''All Thirteen: The Incredible Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team'' garnered positive reviews from critics. It received

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

s from '' Booklist'', '' The Horn Book Magazine'', ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

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

References

External links

Official website
{{Tham Luang cave rescue 2020 children's books 2020 non-fiction books American children's books American non-fiction books Children's non-fiction books Newbery Honor-winning works Tham Luang cave rescue Kirkus Prize-winning works Candlewick Press books Children's books set in Thailand Children's books set in the 2010s