Cort has grown up outdoors being in the swamps. He has learned a lot from his dad, but still relies on his dads knowledge of what to do for many things. While his dad is fighting is own battle with the recent separation from Cort's mom, Cort finds himself fighting for his life in a category three hurricane. Not only does he need to keep himself alive, he also has his two neighbors with him. ( )

It's too bad more people don't know about this book because it's an excellent choice for kids who like survival stories. It starts out a little slow, but once it picks up, it goes full force into intense suspense and edge-of-your seat thrills.

Cort is a teenager who lives on a houseboat in the Alabama swamps with his dad. He often accompanies his dad on river tours to hunt alligators. He and his dad live a meager existence being the groundskeeper for the boat landing. Situated back from the river is the Stovall's house. He and their older daughter, Liza, have been friends for as long as he can remember.

From the beginning, Cort is tracking a hurricane. When it hits, He is hunkered down in the Stovall house with Liz and her younger sister Francie. Mrs. Stovall and Cort's dad went to check on Cort's estranged mother and they can't make it back before the bridge gets flooded. The kids are on their own. Things would have been fine if Francie had not insisted on seeing Catfish, Cort's dog. Somehow her foot gets caught in the leash and Catfish drags her back to the houseboat.

This is where the intensity starts. The mooring lines on the houseboat have broken, so Liza and Cort motor out in the jon. They rescue Francie, but can't stay on the houseboat. Cort decides that their only hope is to get to higher ground at the Indian Mounds. They have to trudge through the swamps to get their and when they arrive they realize that all the other animals had the same idea. They climb up into a tree, but are inundated with snakes, many of them venomous. Liza gets bitten by a cottonmouth and Cort knows he has to go back through the flood to get help. First he has to get past the raging boar that's attacking everything in sight.

Cort is an amazing character. He has such skill and protective instinct. All through the storm, he doubts his ability and experiences frustration towards his dad for going to check on his mother instead of staying at the boat landing. Cort and his mother do not have a good relationship, and that never gets resolved. The resolution is Cort's dad deciding that the relationship is over and he will never let Cort down again. Even though Cort's dad ends up saving them in the end, you have to have admire a kid who can take charge and keep fighting. ( )

Action, survival story about Cort, a kid growing up in Alabama, who finds himself with Liza and her younger sister alone during a hurricane. They've prepared. Cort's dad is a guide on the river, but he's having a tough time with Cort's mom moving out. When Francie is pulled out into the storm, Liza and Cort have to figure out a way to survive in the wild - when all the animals around them are trying to do the same. Quick read, page turner. ( )

Cort and his father live at the edge of the Alabama swamp. His father earns a living guiding hunters in the swamp, and Cort assists on weekends. When Cort is left alone with a friend and her younger sister in a hurricane, they find themselves dangerously alone out in the flooded swamps. He needs every survival skill he ever learned to get them out alive. ( )

Terror at Bottle Creek is a story of survival.

Cort has grown up on the swamp with his friend Liza, but he’s been feeling alone because his parents have separated and his father won’t accept it, disappearing to go spend time with Cort’s mother. Cort doesn’t know what he wants to do when he grows up, but he’s concerned because Liza talks about leaving. Cort and his father don’t have much; they live on a houseboat and make money doing tours on the swamp for various swamp activities.

Cort’s father has been distracted, paying little attention to the business or even Cort as he adjusts to his wife moving out. Cort is concerned because a hurricane is coming, and they aren’t prepared. When the hurricane hits, Cort, Liza, and her little sister, Francie are alone. When Francie goes to see the dog, she ends up on the houseboat. Liza and Cort rescue her, but they can’t get back to Liza and Francie’s house. They are in the middle of the swamp in the midst of a hurricane. There are many deadly creatures to survive in addition to the storm itself.

This novel is a solid middle school story about a kid who has the skills to survive but really isn’t old enough to be placed in such a position, especially one that involves two other people. Overall, I liked the story because it’s fairly realistic. There isn’t a lot of character development and there’s one main event, but it’s enough to hold you attention and not get bored. I enjoyed it for what it is--a realistic look at life and the decisions that make a difference. ( )