Ab Hugh takes his young adult readers very seriously, and in Swept Away he presents them with grave issues to read, ponder, and discuss in a psychological drama set within the framework of an adventure story. This storytelling mode is a narrative of a series of events, often arranged chronologically, with each event usually leading to an even more dangerous situation—the intense, "one darn thing after another" structure that invariably holds a reader's attention. In Swept Away, Jeanette quickly moves from one problem to the next, but the pace becomes especially fast when the flood hits.

Part of her appeal—and the appeal of the novel—is that she must use her wits, knowledge, and good sense to find solutions to the problems that confront her, such as building shelter and keeping Dwayne and Bill in line.

It is unusual for an...