kids never seem to die in American movies

you would probably enjoy the feist trilogy check it out

i'm not really a F?ck up i just play one in real life

Even in Australian movies too?

The boy in the book, Robin Shelby, became lost from his family, tho he had no death scene. I understand there was a sequel written by Gallico in which the helicopter returns and Mike Rogo and Manny Rosen had some sort of adventure.

I would deduce Robin reappeared in that book, but as it stands in the original book, Robin is believed to have gone down with the ship (and I do believe now that the ship did indeed go down at the end of the first book. yes, it did)

So the boy, Robin, did die in the book, tho not deservingly in this movie version.

Basically because they don't want people to complain. Don't want any contraversal issues just because a child happened to die.
I myself have written some short stories and a novel all for personal entertainment and use and I some of the child characters in my stories die

Indy - "How could you tell she was a Nazi?"
Henry - "She talks in her sleep"

...Kids die in Eli Roth's horror flick, "Clown". Jus sayin....

You obviously haven't watched many American made films.

In the movie Mutant (with Wings Hauser) all the kids died.

American audiences are delicate and need happiness