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It has been a while since I have posted a book review on this blog. But I thought some of you our there might need a scary read for right before Halloween. This book should suffice.
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth
by Carrie Ryan
Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com
In Mary’s world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
This book had me at “hello.” And then I peed my pants through pretty much the entire thing. This could be THE creepiest book I have ever read and yet I Could. Not. Put. It. Down.
If the post-apocolyptic freakin ZOMBIES aren’t enough, there is a crazy “sisterhood” running the show with all their secret-y secrets locked up in a cathedral. The whole town lives at their whim inside the fences that protect them from the “unconsecrated” (aka zombies!!!!). Young folk must marry young and ensure the future of the human race, or so they are told. Every townsperson’s waking hour is filled with the moans of the zombies outside the gates who yearn to bite and infect them. But Mary stands apart. She is passionate and has hope that there is an “out there” beyond the gates where life is not surrounded by death. She is the consumate heroine as she questions the boundaries of her own world and faces unthinkable choices.
Her escape is harrowing and tragic.
I give this book my highest recommendation for kids 12 and older — with the caveat that kids who don’t like bumps in the night will never sleep again after reading this book. Stick to day time reading only…even for grown ups.
[rating=4]
The big English teacher dork in me is so super excited for Jade to be in high school (although she still attends junior high, 9th grade IS high school…). I was chomping at the bit to get ahold of her Language Arts syllabus and check out which novels she would be reading this year. She willingly handed it over:
OH, I exclaimed!!! Romeo and Juliet…. Lord of the Flies….Animal Farm….
My heart started beating faster. Ya know, I explained to her, reading this literature is so exciting. It enters you into a “club” of sorts, the club of “well-read” people. You will become more culturally literate, I tell her. I then go on to tell her story after story of how knowing the nuances of Romeo and Juliet and Lord of the Flies (especially the symbolism of that darn CONCH) will enrich and enhance her life for decades to come. That this is only the beginning of a thrilling literary thrillling thrill ride of thrills.
She looks at me.
And says, “I think I need to go put on some deoderant.”
I think I will take that as an endorsement to just how thrilling classic literature is. So thrilling, one needs to wear deoderant.
Yup.
Since my post at Me Ra Koh has been re-scheduled to Monday, I am tossing up this book review for today! Enjoy!
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Toby has found a lump in his side. But this time, he is not going to tell his parents. This time, he is going to be in charge…
not the cancer.
So, he goes out each day of his vacaton on his bike in spite of his parent’s protests and worries. One day on his ride, he sees a too-skinny cow and in concern for this cow’s well-being approaches the owner. This is when he meets 91-year-old Pearl, a poet and a farmer.
Toby is tired of fighting his parents and his cancer and retreats into his morning interludes with 91-year-old Pearl. Pearl is tired of fighting her daughters for her freedom. Together they rediscover their “warrior self” and make some needed changes. This is a quick read – only 116 pages – and errs on the side of simplicity as it revolves around the themes of “standing up” and “friendships” and “freedom”.
But the characters still ring true. A very quaint story that I recommend to anyone 10 years old and older. But, have one tissue ready, because you may need it.
Book by Valerie Hobbs
In an instant everyone over the age of 14 disappears. Poof. Gone.
And there is a border… a wall… or maybe a dome that surrounds the town of Perdido Beach, CA. A barrier that no one can break through.
And (as if all of that wasn’t enough) the animals are morphing, evolving. And so are the kids. Developing supernatural powers.
In the vein of The Lord of the Flies the kids don’t all agree on how to survive, who should be in charge, and what they should do to keep order. The bully from the private school, Caine (aptly named, by the way), soon takes over and rules without mercy due to his developing powers. Sam also develops powers, but is reluctant to step up and lead — even though he is morally and ethically the “good” guy in the story. It really gets eerie when the local coyotes start organizing, talking, and then stalking the kids.
As a mom this book scared me to death. To think that 13 year olds would be in charge of everyone and everything was powerfully disturbing. And the author stays pretty authentic to how this might play out. Cars crash when the driver disappears, gas stoves ignite fires in homes, children cry for their parents. It takes the kids a long time to get organized, the candy is eaten first, and they forget to check on the babies…. with tragic results.
Because of the gruesome and also the very scary encounters in this book, I would recommend this for older teens or maybe younger teens who can handle Stephen King-esque storytelling. However, there is a bit of a disconnect because older teens may not be as interested in a book about 13 year olds, but I think the book will still hold their attention as the book is very gripping and hard to put down, if for no other reason than the original and terrifying paradigm of the story. I have heard some say that it slows down too much in parts. But as the first book in a trilogy, I am a bit forgiving as the author sets up the round characters and allows the story to pace itself. If you or your kids liked Hunger Games, you’ll probably like this one, too.
Book By: Michael Grant
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