Not if I Save You First

 

Carter, A. (2018). Not if I save you first. NY: Scholastic Press.

The story of a young girl who witnesses first-hand the attempted abduction of the first lady. Maddie is best friends with the president’s son Logan and daughter of the head of the president’s secret service detail. She is in the white house for an important state dinner and while exploring with her friend they are nearly run over by a group of men pushing a cart. When the men come back, she notices that the cart seems to be heavier than before, then they see a bit of red fabric peeking out and realize that is the first lady’s dress, Logan pushes his emergency button. The secret service responds immediately, a firefight ensues. Her father is shot, and her friend is grazed by a bullet. Shortly after, her father resigns and moves them to Alaska. She spends the next 6 years learning the skills of survival as her father flies supply runs. The president’s son has grown into a troubled teen who continues to act out, so he is sent to the Alaskan wilderness in an effort to keep him out of trouble and out of danger. Maddie is not happy to see Logan as he has failed to reply to any of her letters, letters he claims to never have gotten. The effort to keep him safe turns out to be even more dangerous as he and Maddie are followed into the woods. Maddie is attacked and presumably dies. He is handcuffed and marched off into the wilderness with no idea what will happen to him or why he has been abducted but he knows that it is related to that night years before when he thwarted the attempt to abduct his mother. Maddie is not dead and knows the wilderness well, so she is able catch up and follow her friend and his captor. They are in a fight for their lives where the people that should be helpful are really the enemy and those who seem to be the enemy ultimately come to their rescue in the end.

More from Ally Carter: All Fall Down and See How They Run

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