Childhood book filter
July 1, 2011 10:59 AM Subscribe
Help me find a book from my childhood-I've been chasing my tail for 20 years now!
My Dad was transfered to another base and I moved right in the middle of the story, and I've thought about it all these years.
The book is about a group of people who live on rafts tied together and they are slowly floating along through a cave going to 'a better place'. One of the children swears they are going in circles and jumps onto a ledge on the cave to prove that his famiy will come back around-they, ofcoarse, panic thinking they have lost him forever.
He finds his way out of the tunnel out into the early spring and becomes horrible sunburned leading the locals to realize who he is-
his tribe is lost in the mountain and just slowly circling in for years in an inner river. Then.......
then we moved. Thank you for any help you can give me!
My Dad was transfered to another base and I moved right in the middle of the story, and I've thought about it all these years.
The book is about a group of people who live on rafts tied together and they are slowly floating along through a cave going to 'a better place'. One of the children swears they are going in circles and jumps onto a ledge on the cave to prove that his famiy will come back around-they, ofcoarse, panic thinking they have lost him forever.
He finds his way out of the tunnel out into the early spring and becomes horrible sunburned leading the locals to realize who he is-
his tribe is lost in the mountain and just slowly circling in for years in an inner river. Then.......
then we moved. Thank you for any help you can give me!
Best answer: Journey Outside by Mary Q. Steele.
"The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on a underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people there to the Better Place."
posted by changeling at 11:11 AM on July 1, 2011 [4 favorites]
"The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on a underground river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his people there to the Better Place."
posted by changeling at 11:11 AM on July 1, 2011 [4 favorites]
Best answer: (I googled "caves floating raft book" and found this LibraryThing conversation. sounds like a cool book!)
posted by changeling at 11:12 AM on July 1, 2011
posted by changeling at 11:12 AM on July 1, 2011
Response by poster: OMG I love Metifilter as well! Thank you all
posted by Frosted Cactus at 12:02 PM on July 1, 2011
posted by Frosted Cactus at 12:02 PM on July 1, 2011
Mary Q. Steele! If you get a chance, you should also look for First of the Penguins, which was far and away the most mindblowing book I read during my childhood.
posted by saladin at 12:38 PM on July 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by saladin at 12:38 PM on July 1, 2011 [2 favorites]
Oh my goodness! I, too, read this as a child and have been struggling to remember the name for years! Thanks a million.
posted by Vrai at 5:37 AM on July 2, 2011
posted by Vrai at 5:37 AM on July 2, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Do you know approximately how old the book itself may be, in other words?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:04 AM on July 1, 2011