Gary Paulsen is a three-time Newbery Honor Book winner. He and his wife divide their time between a home in New Mexico and a boat on the Pacific.

Something loud crashed over their heads, and they could hear gravel and dirt hitting the top of the truck. It happened again and again. The last sound they heard was the scrape of a shovel picking up more dirt. Then it was quiet.
"Where do you think we are?" Woody asked. "It's getting really cold in here." Roman hit the back door with his fist. "I'll tell you where we are. We're buried alive!"
Roman Sanchez's life has become a nightmare. His father, a SWAT officer, has been killed in the line of duty. Then masked gunmen storm Roman's classroom and hold him and three other boys hostage in a remote mountain cabin. There's not much time before the kidnappers' deadly threats are carried out. Can Roman overcome his fear-and the memory of his father's death-to lead the boys' desperate fight for freedom?