Summary:
Twelve year old Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown. There are no women or girls and Todd is the only male under the age of 12. Todd is told that when settlers landed, a germ took over that killed all the women. The men were not killed, but the germ made it so that all of their inner thoughts could be heard. Just before his thirteenth birthday, Todd learns that this is not completely true. The germ did not kill the women. In fact, women were unaffected by the Noise that plagued the men. As a result the men in Prentisstown killed all of the women and were cut off from the rest of the New World for their crime. When a girl crash lands outside Prentisstown, she and Todd set off to try to warn the rest of New World that Prentisstown has world domination in mind.
Strengths:
The main strengths of this dystopian young adult novel lie in the plot's creativity. The settlers have discovered a world very similar to Earth but the idea of a native germ that has a detrimental but non fatal effect on humans is fresh and interesting. The information overload that exists in the book is parallel to the information overload present in today's society with the prevalence of the internet and smart phones. The action is fairly nonstop once Todd leaves Prentisstown. The main characters are easy to relate to and their motivations and decision making is complex. The plot twists and turns often leave the reader off balance and the ending leaves the reader wanting to read the two sequel books.
If you like this book, check out these!
The Hunger Games
Ender's Game
Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.
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