As Charles Darwin said, "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change." In “The Wild Children” by Felice Holman, the twelve-year-old protagonist, named Alex, faces the struggle to survive during the Russian Revolution. He learns that surviving is more than just having a family to support him. It is what a person or group does to continue to survive. The band, including Alex, encounters many difficulties that they must overcome to survive. To ensure the survival of each other and themselves, the band must find shelter, food and collaboration. Although living in the most difficult and unimaginable places, the band survives. For most of us, the shelters where the band slept and ate would be unrecognizable. For example, on page 39, “A large cellar, with a dirt floor was the place where he found himself, when he could see at all. The room was filled with thick oily smoke, lit strangely from behind, as if by matches behind a transparent curtain. It gives the illusion that it is not a perfect place to live due to its poor cleanliness conditions. This is because the band is focusing on survival and seeing what their basic needs are and what they need, which is a shelter to give warmth and safety from the atrocious weather conditions which will help ensure survival for their future. This evidence leads to the conclusion that the cellar is not a nice place with fancy handles and curtains, however it is one thing that will help them survive. Survival makes it difficult to survive disease. For example, on page 86 when Kostia says: "...Peter won't let us stay with the other groups in the caves because of their illness..." and "Everyone...half of the paper..." .if the job impacts that person's survival on that particular day. Another example, on page 59, "It will keep the apothecary so busy at the front that you won't have any trouble getting herbs from the jars at the back." This also suggests teamwork, as Ivan keeps the chemist busy with distraction; Alex goes to steal herbs. Both work together towards a common goal, survival. Alex and Ivan's team-stealing actions allow the gang to survive another illness, if there was one. Keeping each other and themselves alive, the gang learns to survive by finding shelter, food, and finding cooperation. They are also people who learn to overcome difficulties and gain more skills from their experience. We know that the smartest people are not always the ones who survive, but are instead the ones who learn to adapt and manage change.