The year is 2099. The polar ice caps have melted and the world is flooded. Mara Bell lives with her family on one of the few remaining islands. But even their land isn't safe. The sea continues to rise and soon the people of the island must make a choice: move or die. Mara does some research and discovers that before the great flood, huge "New World" cities were built like trees into the bedrock of the earth below. In their synthetic branches, civilization continues. Mara convinces her people to seek out the New World, but finding it turns out to be the easy part. The challenges that follow their arrival test everything Mara knows about herself and the world around her.
I was expecting a horrible rehash of Waterworld. I was very pleasantly surprised. The book is thoughtful and brings up some interesting issues about immigration, prejudice, and what it means to stay human.
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Peak by Smith
Peak is the child of mountain climbers. His dad runs a climbing company that scales Everest and his mom lives with his lawyer step-dad in New York. Peak lives in the big city with his mom - not a great set up for a climber. To ease his boredom, Peak scales skyscrapers, then spray paints his logo at the top. When Peak is busted for vandalism and trespassing, he's given a choice: go to jail till he's 18 or go to Tibet to live with his dad. Not surprisingly, Peak chooses Everest and starts a massive adventure to be the youngest person to ever climb the mountain.
Great book for climbing junkies. I learned a lot about high elevation climbing and conditioning. Smith's story is intriguing and worth the time.
Great book for climbing junkies. I learned a lot about high elevation climbing and conditioning. Smith's story is intriguing and worth the time.
Uglies series by Westerfeld
Imagine a world where everyone is beautiful. Everyone is the perfect weight, wears amazing clothes, and has everything they need. This is the world that Westerfeld creates in his Uglies series.
Tally is an ugly waiting for her 16th birthday when she will receive plastic surgery and move across the river to Prettytown. She makes friends with fellow ugly Shay, who has connections with a rebel group who thinks the surgery is evil. When Shay disappears to find her outlaw friends, Tally is given an ultimatum: find the rebel camp and turn them in or spend the rest of her life as an ugly. In the following books, there are rescues, escapes, a love triangle, and betrayal, as well as some really fabulous chase scenes.
The series was originally a trilogy, but Westerfeld added the superfluous and utterly disappointing Extras at the end for reasons I don't understand. (If you value your time, please don't read this book). The first two and a half books are utterly wonderful, though. Westerfeld, no stranger to writing trilogies, has an unfortunate habit of running out of gas in the last book. Toward the end, Specials follows this sad trend.
Read Uglies and Pretties. If you feel so inclined, read Specials, too, though it's not as good. But Extras is, sadly, a horrible book.
Tally is an ugly waiting for her 16th birthday when she will receive plastic surgery and move across the river to Prettytown. She makes friends with fellow ugly Shay, who has connections with a rebel group who thinks the surgery is evil. When Shay disappears to find her outlaw friends, Tally is given an ultimatum: find the rebel camp and turn them in or spend the rest of her life as an ugly. In the following books, there are rescues, escapes, a love triangle, and betrayal, as well as some really fabulous chase scenes.
The series was originally a trilogy, but Westerfeld added the superfluous and utterly disappointing Extras at the end for reasons I don't understand. (If you value your time, please don't read this book). The first two and a half books are utterly wonderful, though. Westerfeld, no stranger to writing trilogies, has an unfortunate habit of running out of gas in the last book. Toward the end, Specials follows this sad trend.
Read Uglies and Pretties. If you feel so inclined, read Specials, too, though it's not as good. But Extras is, sadly, a horrible book.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Riordan
Widely regarded as America's version of the Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows Perseus Jackson, son of the sea god Poseidon, as he grows from a misfit preteen into a a true demigod. US teens and tweens will have an easy time relating to the main character due to his dyslexia, ADHD, and single-parent family. The books are also shorter and less complex than their British counterparts, which is another selling point for kids who'd rather watch tv than read. Each book encompasses a short amount of time - usually only a few weeks - and characters bounce from fight scene to fight scene.
The only complicated thing about the books is, of course, the messiness of Greek mythology. The scary-looking names of gods, monsters, and places can be a little intimidating. Riordan does his best to try and clue you in about the mythology, though. His depictions of the gods are funny and memorable. (Who doesn't love that the god of war looks like someone from a really evil biker gang?) Percy's first-hand narration is believable and full of irony.
Overall, the series is a fun ride. Definitely worth the time.
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