June 20-26, 2011
Book 1: Ship breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bibliography: Bacigalupi, P. (2010). Ship breaker. New York: Little, Brown and CompanySummary:
Nailer works as part of a crew to disassemble oil tankers for spare parts. His best friend is Pima who works as part of his crew. After a storm comes through a,. Nailer and Pima come upon a wrecked ship. This is a luxury ship and they know they will find many worthy items onboard. What they find is a girl, they name, Luck Girl. She tells them that she will get rescued and they will receive rewards but what they soon find out is that she is being hunted down by enemies of her fathers. Nailer decides that he will take her to find her father, leaving the beach, the only home he's ever known. They go through many adventures as they find many people who are now working for the bad guys. Eventually they find a captain who believes their story and gets them to safety.
My Impression:
I was not sure if this book would meet my expectations. As I read, I enjoyed the development of the characters and the story line. The characters were strong and believable and the story line was different with some interesting twists. I would definitely recommend this book to others and I look forward to a sequel, if one should become available.
Reviews:
1. School Library Journal
A fast-paced post-apocalyptic adventure set on the American Gulf Coast, Nailer works light crew; his dirty, dangerous job is to crawl deep into the wrecks of the ancient oil tankers that line the beach, scavenging copper wire and turning it over to his crew boss, After a brutal hurricane passes over. Nailer and his friend Pima stumble upon the wreck of a luxurious clipper ship. It's filled with valuable goods-a "Lucky Strike" that could make them rich, if only they can find a safe way to cash it in. Amid the wreckage, a girl barely clings to life. If they help her, she tells them, she can show them a world of privilege that they have never known. But can they trust her? And if so, can they keep the girl safe from Nailer's drug-addicted father? Exciting and sometimes violent, this book will appeal to older fans of Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series (S & S) and similar action oriented science fiction,
-Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA 06/01/10
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2. Library Media Connection
In the near future, the environmental impact of the Accelerated Age batters the globe. New Orleans II has been destroyed by a Category 6 hurricane and Nailer works doing salvage on the ships stranded by the storms in the Gulf of Mexico. One day an expensive yacht runs aground in a storm, which is a real prize for Nailer and his friend Pima. But the wreck yields another surprise the daughter of a wealthy family. As they try to cash in, it becomes apparent that Lucky Girl's upper-class world may have as many dangers as the salvage yard. Nailer and Lucky Girl will need to outrun his father and the genetically engineered protectors working for Lucky Girl's enemies. Author Paolo Bacigalupi's future world is vivid and scary, but perhaps the scariest aspects are the most commonplace such as Nailer's abusive father and the betrayal within Lucky Girl's family. The story is gritty with strong language and violent situations, but the adventure is compelling. While slightly post-apocalyptic, this title is still very realistic and will have cross- over appeal for both science fiction readers and adventure readers. Highly Recommended. Melissa Bergin, NBCT Library Media Specialist, Niskayuna (New York) High School - Melissa Bergin , NBCT Library Media Specialist, Niskayuma (New York) High School 08/01/10
Suggestion for Use:
This would be a good book to discuss doing the right thing. Nailer had many situations that he could have easily taken the easy way out, but he chose to do what he thought was right and that usually caused him difficulties and placed him in danger.
Citations:
Bass, H. (2010). [Review of the book Ship breaker by P. Bacigalupi]. School Library Journal, 56(6), 94. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2104/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5839463e-1cfd-4182-b0e7-71404461a7bd%40sessionmgr114&vid=384&hid=13
Bergin, M. (2010). [Review of the book Ship breaker by P. Bacigalupi]. Library Media Connection,29(1), 80. Retrieved from http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID=b56baa42114ddbedfccea1a8d06387de
Book 2: Before we were free by Julia Alvarez
Bibliography: Alvarez, J. (2002). Before we were free. New York: Knopf, Distributed by Random House.Summary:
Anita lives in the Dominican Republic which is under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Anita begins to discover that her life wasn't really what it seemed to be as far as her freedoms were concerned. Her father, uncle and friends were involved in the overtaking of the Trujillo regime. Anita was a questioning child, always looking for answers. As her life becomes chaotic with family leaving for safety in the United States and her family in jeopardy, Anita becomes quiet and withdrawn as she and her mother go into hiding. As Anita stays in the closet at her aunts house, she begins writing in a journal about her fears and feelings. As time continues, she begins to find her voice again. Eventually, Anita and her mother are taken to the United States to be united with other family, where they discover that her father and uncle have been killed by the Trujillo regime.
My Impression:
This book was very interesting and I found that I couldn't put it down. The characters were so normal that I could picture Anita as someone that I knew. I felt her pain and her fear and I was excited and saddened at the same time as she left for the United States. Her fears of being in a new country with different children around and having the fears of not knowing who she can truly trust and if there are "bad" people around her new home like there were at home.
Reviews:
1. Publishers Weekly (July 22, 2002)
In her first YA novel, Alvarez (How the García Girls Lost Their Accents) proves as gifted at writing for adolescents as she is for adults. Here she brings her warmth, sensitivity and eye for detail to a volatile setting the Dominican Republic of her childhood, during the 1960-1961 attempt to overthrow Trujillo's dictatorship. The story opens as 12-year-old narrator Anita watches her cousins, the García girls, abruptly leave for the U.S. with their parents; Anita's own immediate family are now the only ones occupying the extended family's compound. Alvarez relays the terrors of the Trujillo regime in a muted but unmistakable tone; for a while, Anita's parents protect her (and, by extension, readers), both from the ruler's criminal and even murderous ways and also from knowledge of their involvement in the planned coup d'état. The perspective remains securely Anita's, and Alvarez's pitch-perfect narration will immerse readers in Anita's world. Her crush on the American boy next door is at first as important as knowing that the maid is almost certainly working for the secret police and spying on them; later, as Anita understands the implications of the adult remarks she overhears, her voice becomes anxious and the tension mounts. When the revolution fails, Anita's father and uncle are immediately arrested, and she and her mother go underground, living in secret in their friends' bedroom closet a sequence the author renders with palpable suspense. Alvarez conveys the hopeful ending with as much passion as suffuses the tragedies that precede it. A stirring work of art. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. Roback, D - (July 22, 2002)
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2. School Library Journal
By the morning of her 12th birthday, in December, 1960, Anita de la Torre's comfortable childhood in her home in the Dominican Republic is a thing of the past. The political situation for opponents of the dictator Rafael Trujillo has become so dangerous that nearly all of her relatives have emigrated to the U.S., leaving only her uncle, T'o Toni, somewhere in hiding, and her parents, still determined to carry on the resistance. Over the next year, the girl becomes increasingly aware of the nature of the political situation and her family's activities. Once her father's cotorrita, or talkative parrot, she grows increasingly silent. When the dictator is assassinated, her father and uncle are arrested, her older brother is sheltered in the Italian Embassy, and Anita and her mother must go into hiding as well. Diary entries written by the child while in hiding will remind readers of Anne Frank's story. They will find Anita's interest in boys and her concerns about her appearance, even when she and her mother can see no one, entirely believable. Readers will be convinced by the voice of this Spanish-speaking teenager who tells her story entirely in the present tense. Like Anita's brother Mund'n, readers will bite their nails as the story moves to its inexorable conclusion. 08/01/2002By Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Suggestion for Use:
This book could be used as a historical reference regarding teh Trujillo regime and would provide great background information and the struggles of the people. It could also be shared as a story of strength and how most people don't realize how strong they are as they go through tough situations.
Citations:
Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., Larkins, J., & Isaacs, K. (2002). [Review of the book Before we were free by J. Alvarez]. School Library Journal, 48(8), 182. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2104/ehost/detail?sid=7a87cd8b-4f2b-41fe-a3a0-0bc09d25192e
%40sessionmgr110&vid=102&hid=126&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=lih&AN=7100199
Roback, D., Brown, J. M., Britton, J., & Zaleski, J. (2002). [Review of the book Before we were free by J. Alvarez]. Publishers Weekly, 249(29), 180. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2104/ehost/detail?vid=63&hid=126&sid=7a87cd8b-4f2b-41fe-a3a0-0bc09d25192e%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZ
zY29wZT1zaXRl#db=lih&AN=7068206
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