Book excerpt: In the spring of 1994, Mauro Prosperi took part in a grueling six-day race called the Marathon of the Sands. Mauro, along with 133 other runners, set out to race 151 miles (234 km) across the hot and sandy Sahara Desert. On the fourth day of the race, a sandstorm struck! Millions of grains of sand whirled in the air, pounding and stinging Mauro's skin. For six hours, the fierce sandstorm made it almost impossible to see. After the storm ended, Mauro saw no other runners and there was no trail just endless mounds of sand. He was lost in the Sahara. Would Mauro make it out of the desert alive? Lost in a Desert is a heart-stopping collection of true stories about what it's like to be lost and forced to survive in a desert. Captivating, first-person accounts of survivors include a young man whose hiking expedition in a desert went terribly wrong as well as a woman who injured herself while walking alone in a desert. The book also includes general information about the world's deserts and the fascinating plants and animals that live in them. Large color photos, maps, and fact boxes enrich the exciting survival tales. Written in narrative format, this book is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.