Carolyn Matthews has written two books for adults about rescues on sea and land, so she is very familiar with the topic. In her new book for young adults, she introduces readers to 22 men involved in search and rescue – members of military, civilian, and police units specially trained in high-risk recovery.

Matthews describes incidents ranging from the rescue of a downed helicopter pilot in the midst of a terrible blizzard to that of several fishermen shipwrecked in a raging storm, from the recovery of a goat that had fallen into a canal to the search for a lost four-year-old who had wandered into the woods. In each instance, she blends the lively dialogue of those involved with her own overarching narrative, situating the events in the larger context of her celebration of the bravery of Search and Rescue (SAR) technicians.

The book includes “fascinating facts” sidebars that can be somewhat distracting. Some are less facts than parallel expositions – how search dogs are trained, a description of the appeal of Labrador, a history of the Canadian Coast Guard, etc. Although interesting, they aren’t as successful as they might have been in a less narrative-driven work.

Matthews’ aim is not only to celebrate, but to encourage young readers to consider such a career themselves. That being the case, it’s disappointing that Matthews includes no female SAR techs.

Although the writing here is competent and generally clear, it never sings. Moments when Matthews uses what might be considered more youthful language (“freak,” “stuff”) stand out awkwardly. As well, the book could have used more thorough copy edit – I stumbled across a few errors, clearly not Matthews’, and a couple of places where language muddied factual accuracy.