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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
A quick read, written in verse. Maddie’s survival skills are off the chain for a 12 year old! I would recommend it.
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is the kind of book that I would want to assign a class of kids to read. Survival stories are so appealing, and I feel like this one hits it out of the park. There were certain passages that shook me to the core.
Also, for those of you who need to know if the dog dies before you read it like I did: He does not! However, there are some instances where other animals are either hurt or killed, including one really terrible description of a kitten being murdered by violent looters. Be mindful.
Also, for those of you who need to know if the dog dies before you read it like I did: He does not! However, there are some instances where other animals are either hurt or killed, including one really terrible description of a kitten being murdered by violent looters. Be mindful.
Alone is the exact kind of book I greedily devoured as a kid. If I were 10-14 years old, I’d have LOVED this one. I appreciated the nods in Alone to Island of the Blue Dolphins, which I read at least three times as a kid and twice as an adult; the parallels and references to a classic favorite elicited nostalgic feels. That said, I wish the main character, Maddie, would have been at least a year or two older when the story began because I had a hard time believing a kid that young would have had the foresight and clear, level headed, proactive thinking that enabled her to survive. I also didn’t buy the ease, speed and effectiveness of the evacuation of the entire town and the surrounding area, it was highly implausible and in my opinion completely unrealistic. My only other complaint is the ‘resolution.’ The vague explanation for why the area had been evacuated left way too many plot holes and unanswered questions, it didn’t feel credible or organic to me, so much so that for me, it kind of ruined everything that had come before.
Enjoyable but ultimately underwhelming. As for the claims on the cover that it’s “on par with classics such as Hatchet”, I’m going to have to disagree. Granted it’s been close to 20 years since I read Hatchet but if you haven’t read it or Island of the Blue Dolphins, I strongly recommend either of them over Alone.
Enjoyable but ultimately underwhelming. As for the claims on the cover that it’s “on par with classics such as Hatchet”, I’m going to have to disagree. Granted it’s been close to 20 years since I read Hatchet but if you haven’t read it or Island of the Blue Dolphins, I strongly recommend either of them over Alone.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
LOVED this one. I think it was because I needed this message.
Easy read, yet full of deep thoughts and explored emotions at points. I was upset at first because I didn’t know anything about this character, but then I learned - she’s not the same person anyway. Truly living life on her own for over three years … it doesn’t matter who she was before. She now gets to be who she wants to be.
Favorite quotes: Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life? ~ Mary Oliver
AND…
I know I won't / waste another day / agonizing over / what I can't control. / I am going to make sure / my one wild and precious life / is spent living as fully and / completely as I can …
This truly resonates with me at this point in my life.
Easy read, yet full of deep thoughts and explored emotions at points. I was upset at first because I didn’t know anything about this character, but then I learned - she’s not the same person anyway. Truly living life on her own for over three years … it doesn’t matter who she was before. She now gets to be who she wants to be.
Favorite quotes: Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life? ~ Mary Oliver
AND…
I know I won't / waste another day / agonizing over / what I can't control. / I am going to make sure / my one wild and precious life / is spent living as fully and / completely as I can …
This truly resonates with me at this point in my life.
I’ve now read 9 of the 10 Maud Lovelace Nominees for middle grade fiction. I would rank Ophie’s Ghosts and Alone at the top. The premise of Alone is a bit far-fetched (not the disappearance of her whole community but rather her not being found by those evacuating the town. )
Also, the kitten murder and the many descriptions of rotting pets was unnecessary. I’m sensitive as an adult and know that 11 year old Sarah would’ve been in tears over that shit. This isn’t The Last of Us.
Also, the kitten murder and the many descriptions of rotting pets was unnecessary. I’m sensitive as an adult and know that 11 year old Sarah would’ve been in tears over that shit. This isn’t The Last of Us.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Alive by Megan E Freeman
I don't know if I like not knowing what's going on. I mean I get that it's part of the story that she doesn't know what's happening, but there was no world building prior to the mysterious big bad.
I don't know if I like not knowing what's going on. I mean I get that it's part of the story that she doesn't know what's happening, but there was no world building prior to the mysterious big bad.
Jag gillade premissen mycket: ensam kvar som ungdom i en stor stad, att i alla fall få grannhunden George som kompis, men att behöva - vara tvungen - att överleva på egen hand!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Read for work. I'm not generally a novel-in-verse reader, but it worked so well for this since there really is only one character in the story and it reflects her experience intimately. Would have been 5 stars but the throwaway explanation of *why* it happened wasn't enough for me (even though it's unfortunately much more believable than it would have been only a few months ago.)