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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
This book is a great, heaet-wrenching story! Middle School is probably the opportunity toughest time in everyone's life, but what an interesting interpretation of it. Loved it! I cried! I laughed! Very emotional story!
One day Eleanor finds an website written by a (former) Harvard scientist asserting that an asteroid will hit the earth in April and latches onto it. Her grandfather is a staunch prepper and has been preparing his grandchildren for post-apocalyptic life as a hobby so Eleanor has a lot of survivalist knowledge. She even starts an end-of-the-world club at her middle school to help other people out. Of course the reader knows all along that asteroid is a hoax, but that doesn't take away from Eleanor's story as she copes with MS life and friendship challenges while also contending with huge apprehension for the future.
The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty was such an unconventional premise, but it worked really well. Eleanor is a middle schooler, but she learns the end of the world is coming. She is first familiar with "prepping" because her grandpa is all about that life. Doing her own research she realizes that a Harvard professor has predicted an asteroid is going to hit early, and it will have deadly consequences. Eleanor tells her friend Mack because she wants him to be okay. However, she makes the mistake of telling him at the lunch table, and others find out. Soon they've formed the Nature Club (as a cover for the End of the World Club) to start preparing for what's to come. While this sounds like the darkest of premises, it's really such a wonderful story of friendship and family and even how we consume information. I loved how it explored how Eleanor wasn't so much navigating the potential arrival of an asteroid, but instead the relationships and realities of middle school. It was a story that had such heart, and y'all, I just loved it.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First, I'll start with the fact that I don't usually rate books "Dark". Let's face it. I'm a kid. I'm not the horror type. But this book is kind of dark (in a way). I mean, come on! T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. (The end of the world as we know it) is a dark topic! 5 words. The. End. Of. The. World. But it a an awesome story.
Ok, so basically what happens (no spoilersđ) is:
Eleanor Dross is a 7th grader. Her grandfather is a prepper (A person who spends their time "prepping" for catastrophic events {plauge, earthquake, ect.}). So one day, after one of his prepper drills, she is searching for funny end of the world gifs on her computer, when she comes across this website. It's by this professor who teaches at Harvard, and he is saying that in April or May an asteroid will crash into the world and it will be T.E.O.T.W.A.K.I.
So then she tells her friend, Mack. They start a club called The Nature Club, but it is actually a secret club to prepare for 2010PL7 (The asteroid). They do some weird things, like drink toilet water.
This has been a small summary of the first 4th or so of The World Ends In April.
I have rated this book 4.75 stars, because it is an enjoyable book. I have a few fun facts. In fact, I have Four Fun Facts!đ
1. Mack is blind.
2. Eleanor's nicknames are Elle and Nory.
3. The Nature Club does end up drinking toilet water, but first Eleanor filters and purifies it.
4. The Harvard professor's name is Dr. Martin Cologne
Ok. I know what you may be thinking. Wait, did this girl say she was a kid??? But I'm not like most kids. I'm 2 grades up in math, and I love to read. Most kids wouldn't write 4 paragraphs about a book. đ.
Ok, so basically what happens (no spoilersđ) is:
Eleanor Dross is a 7th grader. Her grandfather is a prepper (A person who spends their time "prepping" for catastrophic events {plauge, earthquake, ect.}). So one day, after one of his prepper drills, she is searching for funny end of the world gifs on her computer, when she comes across this website. It's by this professor who teaches at Harvard, and he is saying that in April or May an asteroid will crash into the world and it will be T.E.O.T.W.A.K.I.
So then she tells her friend, Mack. They start a club called The Nature Club, but it is actually a secret club to prepare for 2010PL7 (The asteroid). They do some weird things, like drink toilet water.
This has been a small summary of the first 4th or so of The World Ends In April.
I have rated this book 4.75 stars, because it is an enjoyable book. I have a few fun facts. In fact, I have Four Fun Facts!đ
1. Mack is blind.
2. Eleanor's nicknames are Elle and Nory.
3. The Nature Club does end up drinking toilet water, but first Eleanor filters and purifies it.
4. The Harvard professor's name is Dr. Martin Cologne
Ok. I know what you may be thinking. Wait, did this girl say she was a kid??? But I'm not like most kids. I'm 2 grades up in math, and I love to read. Most kids wouldn't write 4 paragraphs about a book. đ.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kept avoiding this book, figured life is too short to read books I'm not into
Iâve read all of Stacy McAnultyâs middle grade books and this one is by far my favorite. I needed to know what would happen with the asteroid and couldnât put it down. The ending made me a little teary eyed, but I would gladly read it again. This book is highly recommended!!
What if you knew the world was going to end in April? And then what if it didn't?
Eleanor Dross isn't too worried about losing her best friend Mack to a new school next year - after all, the world is going to end in April, so it's a complete nonissue. Right? Eleanor is more concerned about making sure they're ready. With the help of her prepper grandfather and some unexpected new friends, Eleanor starts preparing her family and classmates for TEOTWAWKI, whether or not they believe it.
This story has such heart. There's some cool science and survival strategies, but it's really more about navigating relationships and anxiety. Loved the extra resources in the back matter, too.
Eleanor Dross isn't too worried about losing her best friend Mack to a new school next year - after all, the world is going to end in April, so it's a complete nonissue. Right? Eleanor is more concerned about making sure they're ready. With the help of her prepper grandfather and some unexpected new friends, Eleanor starts preparing her family and classmates for TEOTWAWKI, whether or not they believe it.
This story has such heart. There's some cool science and survival strategies, but it's really more about navigating relationships and anxiety. Loved the extra resources in the back matter, too.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute MG read. I felt like something was missing, though Iâm not sure what it was. I really enjoyed the characters and the âend of the worldâ plot. I think my kiddos would like it! 4/5 stars for me!