50 pages • 1 hour read
J. L. Esplin96 Miles
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
To reach Brighton Ranch, John, Stew, and the brother and sister they met, whom they learn are named Will and Cleverly, start walking along State Route 318. Will licks his chapped lips as the wind picks up. John worries that this young boy will be “the first one to slow us down” (53). Stew and John realize that they recognize Cleverly, or at least her name. She is named for her grandparents, whose last name is Cleverly, and Stewart and John know them.
Stew reveals, against John’s wishes, that their destination is 96 miles away. Cleverly questions whether walking to the Brighton’s is their best option. John responds with sarcasm. He continues walking at a quick pace, knowing they have a lot of ground to cover. He can’t stop thinking about their water supply, which, divided by the four of them, is eight cups per person to last them three days. John asks Stew to share his ChapStick with Will and lets Will hold onto it, since he clearly needs it more than they do. John starts marking off the miles on his arm with a Sharpie when they pass a mile marker. So far, they’ve walked two miles.
John learns that Cleverly and Will are from Las Vegas but were staying with their grandparents when the blackout happened. As they walk, the wind picks up, blowing dirt. Will gives Cleverly his favorite hoodie since she doesn’t have anything to protect her skin. He knows they all need protection from the sun and wind to retain what little hydration they have. They wait when Stewart goes to the bathroom, and John explains that Brighton Ranch has plenty of food stockpiled.
When Stewart returns, he grabs his canteen and starts chugging precious water before John can stop him. John fights to keep his cool; Stewart knows what he’s doing—that his long drink used up more than a day’s water. He wanted John’s attention, and John acknowledges, “now he’s got it” (62).
Chapter 5 Summary
Jim Lockwood made Stew and John disaster packs years ago, the only reason the boys have backpacks with basic supplies, including water. When their other supplies were taken, the backpacks were not.
John decides they might as well take a break since they’re already stopped and builds a makeshift shelter with a tarp to shield them from the wind. Stew is discouraging as John makes the shelter, but Cleverly steps in to help. John sees Will licking his chapped lips again. He tells him to use the ChapStick and learns that Will has already lost it. When John ducks into the shelter, the blue glow from the tarp reminds him of the blue light in his room from the flag over his window. He struggles to control his emotions and breath; he misses his dad but doesn’t want to lose face in front of the group.
Stew continues to get under John’s skin at every opportunity. He makes fun of the shelter and drinks John’s ration of water when John says he doesn’t need it. He wants John to admit they don’t have enough water to make it to Brighton Ranch. John gives in and says they will stop at the reservoir for water. To show he’s serious, he and the rest of the group drink the rest of their water, other than the toilet water that hasn’t been boiled yet.
Outside the shelter and away from Stew, Cleverly questions John’s choice to skip the reservoir in the first place. John explains that it’s a sixteen-mile detour, and Cleverly worries that they’ll never be able to walk 112 miles in three days. John explains his solution: Only he will walk to the reservoir to fill the canteens; everyone else can rest and wait for him. Just as the conversation ends, a silver pickup truck is visible in the distance, coming toward them on the highway.
Chapter 6 Summary
John flashes back to the day their survival supplies were taken. He and Stew had been fighting over a game of cards when the doorbell rang; a man named Clayton Presley introduced himself and asked if their dad was around. John had immediately been suspicious since their house is out of the way. He told Clayton that their dad would be back any time. With a meaningful look, he sent Stew to get Clayton some water, and Stew returned with not only the water, but their dad’s pistol hidden in his waistband. Clayton noticed the generator the boys were using. The bottled water Stew returned with was cold from the refrigerator. Clayton left, and John resolved not to be caught unawares again, should Clayton return.
That night, John and Stew stayed together in the family room with their dad’s pistol. John fell asleep and woke up with his dad’s pistol pressed to his head. Clayton Presley and a group of men took their water tanks, their food, and their generator. Stewart, next to him, sat shaking and pale. He and John stayed on their knees, and John focused on simply surviving the night.
Chapter 7 Summary
Looking down the road in the present action of the story, John knows that the truck is different from Clayton Presley’s. Cleverly notices that it’s coming down the center of the road; John takes this as a sign that they cannot trust the driver, who is ignoring “normal laws that they used to follow” (87). The truck passes them, then stops a little ways down the road.
John has an idea and grabs their empty canteen. He approaches the truck yelling for help. As he gets closer, he notices one of his dad’s gas cans with an L for Lockwood on it among the junk in the truck bed. This means that the driver was likely one of the men who robbed him and Stewart. Fighting to remain calm, he asks the gruff, muscular driver and pregnant passenger for help, keeping up the pretense that he and the other kids have nothing worth taking. John also notices a parking permit for the company his dad works for: Ely Granite Company.
The man questions why he would be heading south, since nothing is in that direction for miles. Not wanting to give away their destination, John lies, saying they have family in Alamo. The man pulls a gun and demands John give him the empty canteen. John protests, knowing they need the canteen to fill at the reservoir, but eventually he hands it over. The man tells him to return to Lund and drives away.
Chapter 8 Summary
As soon as the robbery at home ended, John got out their survival packs and decided to go to Brighton Ranch. Stewart was against the plan from the beginning; he doubted he could make the walk, let alone in three days with their small amount of provisions. He also didn’t want to “show up on the Brightons’ doorstep like a beggar” (98). Stewart decided that he would rather die at home than in the desert. To convince Stewart they needed to go, John said he would give his food and water to Stewart and refused to eat or drink for almost two full days. Stew finally gave in and agreed to make the journey. John made a deal with him: “I’d eat, he’d walk to Brighton Ranch with me, and neither one of us would bring up dying again” (99).
Back on the roadside in the present moment, John explains what happened with the truck driver and pregnant woman, who they nickname Spike and Killer. John asks to take inventory of Cleverly’s backpack, and thankfully, she has an empty plastic water bottle. It’s only a quarter of the lost canteen, but it’s better than nothing.
As the group continues walking, Stewart shares his theory that zombies are behind the power outage, and Cleverly asks about where Stew and John go to school in such a small town. The conversation flows easily, and the group of four share some laughs. Stewart talks about how his dad is strong and smart, and discusses Jess Brighton, the daughter of their family friends at the ranch they’re headed to. They were planning to hike The Narrows with Jess on a camping trip later that summer. Stew, who John notices is pale and sweaty, quietly makes John promise to apologize to Jess for him for not being able to do the hike. John worries that his brother is giving up; he tells Stew he’ll be able to tell Jess himself in a few days.
Chapters 4-8 Analysis
Esplin’s choice of setting is central to the novel as a survival story. The Nevada desert, with the remote town of Lund and desolate State Route 318, is the setting for the majority of the narrative and mirrors the desperate circumstance the four kids face. John notes that although Highway 50 holds the title for “Loneliest Road in America” (51), State Route 318 deserves the title more. It has no gas stations, rest stops, or restaurants, which makes the journey on foot to Brighton Ranch all the more difficult. Esplin describes the landscape as treeless, flat, dusty, and dry. The road stretches in a straight line and the scenery offers no variation other than a few distant mountains. The wind makes the harsh landscape even less forgiving.
As the four children begin their journey, Esplin characterizes Will as the weak link of the group. He is young and looks tired from hunger and thirst, constantly licking his chapped lips. John thinks he will be the first to slow them down, a judgment Esplin later reveals to be incorrect.
The journey reveals John’s extensive survival knowledge. He knows they need to avoid sunburn and protect themselves from the wind, since both will make dehydration worse. He sets up a temporary shelter, using the few objects they have to secure it. Stew has survival knowledge too, but Esplin contrasts how the two boys deal with their situation. Stew makes a statement by drinking precious water, wanting to force John to acknowledge him and his opinion. Although Stew’s actions seem selfish, Esplin means to show that John can’t handle everything alone. Stew wants his brother to see that they need each other and should work together as equals.
Esplin uses flashbacks throughout the novel to fill in the details of what brought Stew and John to such a desperate situation. When John flashes back to the day of the robbery, he reveals that he blames himself for being underprepared. John also makes it clear that the change in Stew happened because of the robbery. Once the men left, Stew was no longer the same. This change in character, along with other details, such as Stew’s paleness, foreshadow that something serious is wrong with Stewart.
The use of flashbacks also illustrates John’s panic attacks. When setting up the shelter, the blue glow cast by the tarp brings on a flashback to the morning Jim Lockwood left, when the blue light filtered through the Nevada state flag in John’s room. This memory leads John to be short of breath, linking to the pressure John feels to take responsibility for everything in his father’s absence. John continues to have panic attacks along the journey and tries to manage them by wiping his mind or thinking of something else. His physical response to memories and situations shows the pressure he’s placed on himself and the toll it’s taking on him both mentally and physically.
Esplin further delves into the theme that Difficult Situations Reveal Character. When Cleverly and John see the truck, they notice that the driver is straddling the yellow line rather than staying in the legally correct lane. John observes that people who are willing to ignore basic laws are more likely to break others. Disregard for the rules in difficult circumstances also led a group of grown men to rob John and Stew at gunpoint. Esplin suggests that intense situations bring out a person’s true self. There are those who become paranoid, selfish, and violent, and those who prize kindness, friendship, and caring for others above themselves.
