All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of The Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of The Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
Reviewed by: Theo Ramirez, Cristina Rivas, Kamea Robinson, Christian Sanchez & Odalys Sanchez
Biography:
Christina Soontornvat is an author, speaker, and scientist driven to educate children of all ages. She is best known for being a New York times bestselling author of work from children’s picture books like The Ramble Shamble Children to graphic novels like her best seller, The Tryout. She has received numerous awards including three Newbery Honor awards for her books written for middle school readers which notably made her the only author to be awarded the honor for both fiction and nonfiction in the same year. All of her work and accolades are the result of her love for reading and storytelling, which she travels worldwide to speak about to audiences of children and educators alike. Outside of this passion, she also holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Science Education, which allowed her to work for 10 years in science museums where she designed programs to get children interested in STEM.
Despite being born and raised in Texas, Soontornvat is also of Thai descent, a part of her identity in which she remains very proud of. She regularly makes trips to Bangkok which resulted in her being present in Thailand as the 2018 cave rescue that inspired her novel, All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team was occurring. In an interview with Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) she describes the nerve wracking experience of awaiting Facebook updates on the status of the rescue and how her Thai heritage greatly assisted her in the process of writing the novel. This allowed her to talk to figures in the Thai community that knew the children and coach personally and provided significant details regarding the rescue that Soontornvat noticed were absent in Western accounts of the rescue.
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat is written as a middle grade nonfiction book by combining material from community interviews with in-depth science content and details about the region’s culture and religion, however the story continues to shock adults and children who encounter reading about it. The literature recounts the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue. The rescue for 12 boys on the same soccer team along with their coach took place after the team and their coach were trapped in the flooded cave.Through the author’s research of events, including interviews with those involved, she provides a detailed and suspenseful account of the rescue. The story captured the attention of millions of people around the globe. The book explores team-work, communication, and the importance of mental strength. The news of the missing team united thousands of rescuers in a seventeen day mission to rescue the boys and coach Ekkapol Chantawong.
The team’s assistant coach, 25-year-old Ekkapol Chantawong, nicknamed coach EK, promised to take the team to explore a local cave after practice. The boys on the team often spent time together off the soccer field which would consist of many outdoor activities to build team bonding. The unexpected rainfall blocked the opening that they used to go inside of the cave, due to the mud and the rocks blocking what was a small opening to the cave. The SEALs that helped with the rescue were experienced divers and they have done many rescue missions in water; even though their experience in cave diving was not as equal to their experience sea diving, they were determined to rescue the boys. Students who read about these kinds of events are learning about the significance of international to global collaboration in order to help victims in the face of extreme adversity.
She also explains more about their life inside the cave along with how they utilized the alarms on the watch to keep track of when it was day or night. The book shows how the team was able to rely on another in their efforts to stay warm and stay calm while the rescuers were on their mission to them. Communication amongst the team and coach in order to stay mentally resilient and not lose hope makes for great discussion amongst classmates for lessons in leadership throughout the whole rescue mission. Themes like community are also shown in the book because of how much support the boys received throughout and after they were rescued. In the U.S. there are many events that bring communities and populations together in order to support those under terrible circumstances. Students who learn about the Tham Luang rescue mission learn through different perspectives of the event from the rescuers, parents, the victims, and those who worked on site are able to see how they were affected from this. Overall, the book evokes emotions that are correlated with situations like this, students are able to relate to the people affected by putting themselves in their shoes in order to elaborate on their discussions about the book.
Instructional Resources:
1. Thailand Cave Rescue Map – This website hosts graphics of the Tham Luang Cave from which the boys’ soccer team was rescued from. The graphics include measurements of the cave along with specifics of the conditions at the time of the rescue. Explanations are supplemented via text as well.
2. Thai Cave Rescue - 3D Scan Journey – The website has an article in which the process of scanning Tham Luang Cave is explained. It is a in-depth explanation of the technology used and the process taken in order to obtain the data necessary. A short video is included that provides further information of the process and a preview of the 3D scan.
Instructional Activity:
Preview:
In this instructional activity, students will have already read the book in preparation for class discussion. A series of videos about the story of the Wild Boars will be shown in class and students will compare the information they have gathered from the novel to what they learn from an informational video, interview with a diver, and interview with the soccer team themselves. This will provide a basis for an initial group discussion which will open up into a full class discussion.
Instructions:
After watching the three videos as a class, students will get into small groups and discuss the difference between reading the information as a novel and seeing videos regarding the Tham Luang cave rescue. Students will be encouraged to note any emotional impacts of first hand accounts versus reading the novel. They will be critically thinking in their comparison to determine whether or not the novel is an accurate depiction of the events based on first hand accounts or if the story’s impact changes depending on where the information is coming from. They will also be comparing the sense of community seen from the locals and people all over Thailand as a result of the boy’s rescue mission versus what we see in the U.S. during similar situations. The small group discussions help students sort through their ideas and come to a more definite conclusion through speaking with about two or three other students. The class discussion may then open up the floor to different points of view and an engaging conversation as a whole class.
California Common Core Standards:
Comprehension and Collaboration:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.c
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.d
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Resources and Preparation:
Sky news informational video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C22fdJYkPzo
Interview: Chris Jewell - Thailand Cave Rescue | University of Southampton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klARtBWtyHw
Cave diver Chris Jewell gives an interview at the University of Southampton to share the role he played in the Thailand soccer team rescue and his past experiences with cave diving.
Wild boars talk about their experience on the Ellen show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFcdVSlrv44
Author Christina Soontornvat: Getting the Personal Stories Right for her Book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxBkHOpUxQA
In this interview with the author of All Thirteen Christina Soontornvat she recalls her time spent in the small town where the rescue of the Thai soccer team took place in order to prepare for writing this novel. Over the course of ten days she spoke to the rescue divers, military, volunteers, and families of the thirteen boys in order to hear their personal stories and experiences from the rescue.
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever heard of a rescue mission of the same magnitude as the Tham Luang cave rescue before?
How would you compare the community rallying and supporting the boys and anyone involved in their rescue to what is seen in the U.S. during similar situations?
Do you think as much effort would have been made to find the soccer team had the initial video of them in the cave not become a phenomenon?
What did you find most interesting about the Wild Boars’ story and why?
Why do you think the author chose to write the novel?
Choose two out of the four videos watched to compare to the novel, what makes them different from reading the novel despite it being the same story?
Bibliography:
“An Interview with 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Christina Soontornvat.” The Hub, 5 Mar. 2021, www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2021/03/05/an-interview-with-2021-excellence-in-nonfiction-finalist-christina-soontornvat/.
Environmental and Life Sciences at Southampton. “Interview: Chris Jewell - Thailand Cave
Rescue | University of Southampton.” Youtube, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klARtBWtyHw
Reading Rockets. “Author Christina Soontornvat: Getting the Personal Stories Right for her Book.” Youtube, 21 Jun. 2023,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxBkHOpUxQA
Sky News. “How the Thai Cave Rescue Unfolded.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Mar. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=C22fdJYkPzo.
Soontornvat, Christina. All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team. First edition. Somerville, Massachusetts, Candlewick Press, 2020.
Soontornvat, Christina. Christina Soontornvat, 12 Jan. 2024, soontornvat.com/.
The Ellen Show. “Ellen Talks to Thai Soccer Team in Their First In-Studio Interview Since Cave Rescue.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFcdVSlrv44.
