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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
adventurous
adventurous
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
This book starts off really slow, but once it gets going, you will read it until you finish. de la Pena writes characters of different races and ethnicities well and allows a reader to understand those feelings and ideas.
I liked Shy and liked the story for the most part. It was a bit of a mess, with tangents shooting off in all directions, but I think it will appeal to boys. My 16-year-old daughter liked it, though she was annoyed by what she saw as betrayal on Shy's part (with the two girls).
Read for Librarian Book Group
This book has everything! Let's make a list right now: class commentary, racial tension, smidgen of romance, strange illness, natural disaster (s!), survivor tale, heartbreaking sadness, corporate malfeasance, horrible destruction, rogue players, and escape. And it all worked! At least for me. It was fast and fun to read and I'll just tell you right now, there is a second book to look forward too.
This book has everything! Let's make a list right now: class commentary, racial tension, smidgen of romance, strange illness, natural disaster (s!), survivor tale, heartbreaking sadness, corporate malfeasance, horrible destruction, rogue players, and escape. And it all worked! At least for me. It was fast and fun to read and I'll just tell you right now, there is a second book to look forward too.
This book, while I didn't enjoy it as much as "The Raft", is at the top of my recommendation list for teens, especially boys who don't like to read.
I was expecting a straight out survival story, along the lines of "The Raft" or "Hatchet", but this is more of a mystery/suspense/thriller with a disaster element. I think this is probably where most of my disappointment comes from.
I was expecting a straight out survival story, along the lines of "The Raft" or "Hatchet", but this is more of a mystery/suspense/thriller with a disaster element. I think this is probably where most of my disappointment comes from.
I think the was was overall pretty good, but I feel like the beginning of the book lasted forever. The part of the book that really mattered wasn’t until more than halfway into the book.
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2014/06/les-vivants-t1-les-vivants-matt-de-la.html
This was a book where there was a LOT going on (corporate espionage, medical thriller, extreme weather, shark attacks, secret islands) but also still had sort of long stretches that I found very boring? But also note that "survival" is not really my particular jam.
I really liked the diversity and class issues here and I thought those were handled really well. Shy's a good narrator--a smart, observant teenage boy who's thoughtful, but also horny.
I picked this up because I wanted to maybe booktalk it for 7th & 8th graders who love Hunger Games etc, but I think it's a little too ~adult~ in terms of language and death/sex stuff? I mean I think there are definitely individual 7th/8th graders who would dig this but I don't feel comfortable pitching it to an entire class. I think high schoolers looking for a good adventure/survival story should like it a lot.
I really liked the diversity and class issues here and I thought those were handled really well. Shy's a good narrator--a smart, observant teenage boy who's thoughtful, but also horny.
I picked this up because I wanted to maybe booktalk it for 7th & 8th graders who love Hunger Games etc, but I think it's a little too ~adult~ in terms of language and death/sex stuff? I mean I think there are definitely individual 7th/8th graders who would dig this but I don't feel comfortable pitching it to an entire class. I think high schoolers looking for a good adventure/survival story should like it a lot.
Great book. Great characterization. Page turner. Cliff hanger. More of a review after a give a book talk on it at Village Books for Indies First.