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Intriguing concept and fun plot. The reason why I give it only 2.5 stars is that I felt little to no connection to any of the characters. The ending was also something unsatisfactory to me as I wish the main character was more brutal with Noa’s ending (did he even die?). The ending hints to the 2nd book which I will probably be not reading
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
If I could give this 10 stars, I would. This book was absolutely beautiful. Every part of it was original and thoughtful and creative. I’m obsessed. This book is a genuine treasure.
Letta is apprentice to the Wordsmitb in a post-global warming disaster society.
Citizens of Ark, a city that ruler John Noa planned prior to the disaster, may only use words designated by the official List. Letta and her master are in charge of printing and distributing the List. When her master disappears, Letta discovers that Noa is planning something to remove language - and people - all together. Is her world a lie?
This book is so timely, with many parallels to politics today, as well as references to the biblical Noah's Ark. Hand this to readers who like City of Ember and The Giver.
Citizens of Ark, a city that ruler John Noa planned prior to the disaster, may only use words designated by the official List. Letta and her master are in charge of printing and distributing the List. When her master disappears, Letta discovers that Noa is planning something to remove language - and people - all together. Is her world a lie?
This book is so timely, with many parallels to politics today, as well as references to the biblical Noah's Ark. Hand this to readers who like City of Ember and The Giver.
I agree with a previous reviewer that is seemed as though the author was trying to incorporate multiple, common fantasy themes into one novel, which was sometimes difficult to follow. I did like the main plot line, and enjoyed the development of the main character.
This was an amazing book, there is no doubt about that. It was unique and new, exactly what I like to read.
I was debating between 4 and 5 stars and eventually settled with 5. The book gave me a new perspective on what it would be like without language, great power would be lost.
The book made me think a good deal and there is emotion captured on the pages which makes a great read
I was debating between 4 and 5 stars and eventually settled with 5. The book gave me a new perspective on what it would be like without language, great power would be lost.
The book made me think a good deal and there is emotion captured on the pages which makes a great read
In a time after global warming has had it's full effect and the world is nearly covered by seawater, Letta is a wordsmith- holder of the definitions of words. Her job is to copy out individual dictionaries for each citizen of Ark of all the words they can use legally. There are only 500 words allowed for common use and each job has specialized words, but if they use words not on the list they can be banished.
The book is indeed very reminiscent of The Giver, and I enjoyed it. The timeline confused me a bit. There are a lot of characters alive from before the restriction of language and it's hard to tell how long it has been since it started, but other then that it's a fascinating story.
The book is indeed very reminiscent of The Giver, and I enjoyed it. The timeline confused me a bit. There are a lot of characters alive from before the restriction of language and it's hard to tell how long it has been since it started, but other then that it's a fascinating story.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Genre:Dystopian fiction; Science fiction
Storyline:Plot-driven
Tone:Thought-provoking
Writing Style:Compelling
Storyline:Plot-driven
Tone:Thought-provoking
Writing Style:Compelling
Told with a rather emotionally thirsty, distant narrative, The List somehow still remains engaging with a very intriguing premise. Forde seems to have attacked a dystopian novel that is very reminiscent, as the summary suggests, of [a:Lois Lowry|2493|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1348162077p2/2493.jpg]'s series The Giver Quartet, and even more specifically the last book, [b:Son|13324841|Son (The Giver, #4)|Lois Lowry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349952095s/13324841.jpg|18252076]. The book's blurb also makes mention of a favorite of mine, which I actually did read in middle school, [b:Fahrenheit 451|17470674|Fahrenheit 451|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469704347s/17470674.jpg|1272463], but other than the relationship to censorship that is shared, I didn't get that vibe at all. In fact, the attempt this community and its leaders or founders make at an utopian society was more along the lines of M. Night Shyamalan's 2004 movie, The Village. And, of course, with utopian societies being rather impossible, especially in literature (because otherwise where is the conflict driving the story?), both the weirdness and the otherness are present right from the beginning, drawing you in.
With a direct and, at times, choppy style, Forde aimed a mature understanding of what makes humans human at the middle grade level. Descriptive language mixed with the withdrawn and removed narration, made for a few moments when the style was a little off. At times, the simplicity proved to be too plain, too basic and the story could've stood to be a little deeper and more complex, but overall, my interest and desire to continue held strong throughout. I am certainly going to consider recommending this to my own children, especially during these turbulent times.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.
With a direct and, at times, choppy style, Forde aimed a mature understanding of what makes humans human at the middle grade level. Descriptive language mixed with the withdrawn and removed narration, made for a few moments when the style was a little off. At times, the simplicity proved to be too plain, too basic and the story could've stood to be a little deeper and more complex, but overall, my interest and desire to continue held strong throughout. I am certainly going to consider recommending this to my own children, especially during these turbulent times.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.
When I stumbled across this book on Netgalley, I had not heard of it before. I was originally drawn in by the cover; it is just so pretty! In The List’s description on Netgalley, it is compared to the likes of Fahrenheit 451 and The Giver. Being a huge fan of both of these books, I knew right away I just had to read this book! I am so glad I got approved to read an advanced copy of this! I just adored the story!
The List is a middle grade dystopian novel that deals with censorship. This is the type of book I can see being read in middle school classrooms. It deals with important topics such as censorship and standing up for what is right, both topics that I feel should be discussed at this age. While I can’t say this book was completely unique, as it was very reminiscent of other dystopians I have read, it was still a fun and entertaining read that I know I would have really enjoyed reading in school.
The protagonist, Letta, is an apprentice to a Wordsmith, meaning she transcribes words for the 500 word List. The words on this List are the only words allowed to be spoken by the residents of the city of Ark. If a resident is found speaking words outside the List, they are banished from the community. Those banished are left to nature; either they will get taken by the wild animals in the woods or saved by the Desecrators. The Desecrators are rebels who do not live by the rules of John Noa, the creator of Ark. John Noa believes language was the reason for mankind’s downfall that led to the Melting. The Melting was caused by the polar ice caps melting and destroying most of the Earth. John Noa took this opportunity to create Ark where he would be able to have total control. In Ark, he restricts the community of language, music, and art.
When Letta is told her master, Benjamin has died, she goes from being an apprentice to the community’s Wordsmith. After this happens she becomes aware of the evilness of John Noa and of a masterplan to eliminate language from the world entirely. It’s up to Letta and her friends to defeat his evil plan and save the community.
This was a book about working together and standing up for what is right, even if it goes against everything that was taught. I thought this book was a fun read and would recommend it to children of middle school age and fans of The Giver and other dystopians alike. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Publication date is August 1, 2017.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Patricia Forde for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The List is a middle grade dystopian novel that deals with censorship. This is the type of book I can see being read in middle school classrooms. It deals with important topics such as censorship and standing up for what is right, both topics that I feel should be discussed at this age. While I can’t say this book was completely unique, as it was very reminiscent of other dystopians I have read, it was still a fun and entertaining read that I know I would have really enjoyed reading in school.
The protagonist, Letta, is an apprentice to a Wordsmith, meaning she transcribes words for the 500 word List. The words on this List are the only words allowed to be spoken by the residents of the city of Ark. If a resident is found speaking words outside the List, they are banished from the community. Those banished are left to nature; either they will get taken by the wild animals in the woods or saved by the Desecrators. The Desecrators are rebels who do not live by the rules of John Noa, the creator of Ark. John Noa believes language was the reason for mankind’s downfall that led to the Melting. The Melting was caused by the polar ice caps melting and destroying most of the Earth. John Noa took this opportunity to create Ark where he would be able to have total control. In Ark, he restricts the community of language, music, and art.
When Letta is told her master, Benjamin has died, she goes from being an apprentice to the community’s Wordsmith. After this happens she becomes aware of the evilness of John Noa and of a masterplan to eliminate language from the world entirely. It’s up to Letta and her friends to defeat his evil plan and save the community.
This was a book about working together and standing up for what is right, even if it goes against everything that was taught. I thought this book was a fun read and would recommend it to children of middle school age and fans of The Giver and other dystopians alike. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Publication date is August 1, 2017.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Patricia Forde for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.