“All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team”
by Christina Soontornvat.
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Massachusetts, 2020, 280 pages, Grades 7-10.
Few people are actually born brave. Rather, most people become brave by overcoming their fears and acting with courage. Where does this courage come from? You can’t buy it in a store, or order it on the internet. No, bravery is developed by choosing to push through very difficult situations with fortitude.
Bravery and courage take many forms. They can result from people doing something that is difficult and frightening. However, the development of courage is frequently helped by the love of others.
Christina Soontornvat writes about one of the most compelling tales of bravery and courage in recent times. It is the story of the rescue of 13 young boys trapped for 18 days in an underwater cave with their coach. The name of this magnificent story is “All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team.”
It starts out so innocently. On June 23, 2018, after soccer practice, the Wild Boars soccer team ride their bikes to a nearby cave for an adventure. They are led by their 25-year-old coach, Coach Ek. The cave, named Tham Luang, is famous in Thailand, part of a park and is frequently visited. The entrance to the cave is easy to access, but the path inside the cave subsequently turns and twists for nearly 6.2 miles. The middle section of the trail is a sharp decline and the remaining distance rises up substantially.
The Wild Boars have been to Tham Luang many times and decide to keep exploring deeper in the cave. By the time they reach the end of the cave, they realize how late it is. They turn back but are stunned to find that the middle part of the cave is now flooded from an early monsoon rain. The water is rushing in so fast that the only sensible thing to do is to return to the higher part of the trail at the end of the cave. The flood continues to rise, trapping the boys and their coach miles from safety. When they don’t return home, their parents go to the cave and realize their sons are in danger.
The local park rangers see there is nothing they can do. Calling on Thailand’s Navy Seals, a possible evacuation of the Wild Boars seems possible. But diving in a cave is completely different than diving in an ocean. The Seals can only do so much. Out of desperation, a team of cave divers from Great Britain are called in, along with American Special Service personnel. Additionally, divers from around the globe rush to help. The plight of the boys becomes international news. But time is running out. The Wild Boars have to be rescued soon or all will perish. A daring plan is devised. Will it work?
The book, “All Thirteen,” is a moving account of bravery and courage. The boys and their coach demonstrate heroic virtue. The cave divers and the military personnel repeatedly risk their lives to save the Wild Boars. But tragedy is mixed with victory. One rescue diver drowns in an effort to reach the boys and another is injured and later dies from infection incurred in the rescue.
The actual rescue will keep you on the edge of your seat. When it is completed, you will feel that you have triumphed as well. “All Thirteen” shows the preciousness of life and self-sacrifice people will make to save others. This is a brilliantly written story that you should not miss.
