Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Roar and other dystopian fantasies

City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner. There are a lot of books showing a bleak future for our world out there for kids these days. Roar by Emma Clayton is another such book. Roar is set in a world where all animals have gone berserk, attacking humans without provocation which creates the need for all of humanity to live in big walled cities crowded together in poorly constructed apartments beset with mold and little hope for the future. Mika's twin has gone missing and is presumed dead by everyone but him. As there stories unfold in parallel, we come to see who is controlling their fates and hope they will be reunited. The story is intense, fast-paced and suspenseful. Mika and Ellie are smart and likable--heroes you can really get behind. It would be a great companion book to any of those listed above or perhaps Lois Lowry's The Giver.

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