Book Review: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
By: Jeff Hirsch
Published by Scholastic Press
Published by Scholastic Press
Release Date: Sept. 1, 2011
Genre: Young Adult
Source: hard copy provided by This Is Teen
My thoughts:
The Eleventh Plague is a really great YA dystopian with a male lead character- a nice change of pace for me, since most of my YA is girl-centered.
The main character, Stephen, is easy for young teens to relate to; he goes from being told exactly what to do and when, to being totally responsible for both himself and his dad in a matter of just a few hours. That adjustment between being a kid and becoming an adult is something that all kids that age struggle with, and is therefore a perfect hook for the reading audience.
The dystopian element of the book is as intriguing as it is timely, in that bio-warfare is a clear and present threat in our world. For the past decade, Americans have been much more aware of the possibility of war on our own soil. It's a scary prospect, and certainly worth some serious consideration. This book is could spawn some really great discussion on the topic, as it is both high interest and thought-provoking.
As a teacher, one of my favorite messages of the book is the value of education, even in a society where merely surviving is goal number one each day. My second favorite is delivered through the doctor: the greatest good we can do is to help each other.
As an adult female, I enjoyed this book very much- but it would be perfect for recommending to middle school boys.
The main character, Stephen, is easy for young teens to relate to; he goes from being told exactly what to do and when, to being totally responsible for both himself and his dad in a matter of just a few hours. That adjustment between being a kid and becoming an adult is something that all kids that age struggle with, and is therefore a perfect hook for the reading audience.
The dystopian element of the book is as intriguing as it is timely, in that bio-warfare is a clear and present threat in our world. For the past decade, Americans have been much more aware of the possibility of war on our own soil. It's a scary prospect, and certainly worth some serious consideration. This book is could spawn some really great discussion on the topic, as it is both high interest and thought-provoking.
As a teacher, one of my favorite messages of the book is the value of education, even in a society where merely surviving is goal number one each day. My second favorite is delivered through the doctor: the greatest good we can do is to help each other.
As an adult female, I enjoyed this book very much- but it would be perfect for recommending to middle school boys.
Summary from GoodReads:
The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.
Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, travels Post-Collapse America with his Dad and stern ex-Marine Grandfather. They travel light. They keep to themselves. Nothing ever changes. But when his Grandfather passes suddenly and Stephen and his Dad decide to risk it all to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. With his father terribly injured, Stephen is left alone to make his own choices for the first time.
Stephen’s choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. Distrustful of such tranquility, Stephen quickly falls in with Jenny Tan, the beautiful town outcast. As his relationship with Jenny grows it brings him into violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost.
The wars that followed The Collapse nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new.
Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, travels Post-Collapse America with his Dad and stern ex-Marine Grandfather. They travel light. They keep to themselves. Nothing ever changes. But when his Grandfather passes suddenly and Stephen and his Dad decide to risk it all to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down. With his father terribly injured, Stephen is left alone to make his own choices for the first time.
Stephen’s choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. Distrustful of such tranquility, Stephen quickly falls in with Jenny Tan, the beautiful town outcast. As his relationship with Jenny grows it brings him into violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this read! I love male MCs and I'm excited to start reading this book soon! This will actually be a part of my MEN in YA event (starting NOV20th - don't forget to stop by, there are tons of giveaways prepared!) and I was very curious what you thought about it :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Here's my review of Deadly Cool. I would love for you to stop by and tell me what you think! :)
this was a good book am i right
ReplyDeleteAmazing book!!!:)
ReplyDelete