This first book in D. E. Knobbe's gripping Runaway series puts readers in the middle of a wilderness adventure that few could survive on their own. Nate stole the kayak . . . sort of. His parents don't know where he is, and that's just fine with him. He's made it to the chain of sparsely populated islands off the coast of Vancouver, his kayaking dream come true. So what could possibly go wrong? For starters, he hadn't counted on real runaways making him feel like a fraud or on the cops chasing him into a wild and deadly storm. Nate hadn't planned to shipwreck on a deserted island either, or to have a run-in with a crazed drug smuggler, who drifted into the bay on a crippled Sailboat, ready to protect his stash with a loaded gun. Should Nate save himself or the Goth girl from Seattle who tried to rescue him? Between being chased by criminals, shot at, and almost drowned, their options aren't looking good.