The plague has killed everyone except people under the age of 12., and now Lisa Nelson and her brother Todd just want to survive. Lisa has lots of nice ideas, and this is because she thinks a lot. She has already gotten many supplies from supermarkets and abandoned houses and is constantly thinking of more places. The main part of the book starts when she decides that Grand Avenue needs a militia to protect them from marauding gangs. First, they install defense measures, then they start training to fight and defend their home, Grandville, as they are now calling it. The city in the title gets started when Lisa discovers that the local Glenbard High School is easier to defend than Granville. Taking charge as the leader, with Charlie Craig and Jill, three other important characters, as council members, she decides to build a settlement of children who want safety. Many gangs attack and are repelled; however, the Chidester Gang is particularly stubborn and threatens to conquer the City of Glenbard. For me, the book was a little too direct and non-descriptive. Nevertheless, the story is quite relatable even though it was written during the seventies, and the themes(self-reliance and leadership) were complex enough and portrayed pretty well. An issue with this book was that the climax was only 40 pages whereas the rest of the book talked about building the city. This book is good for people who like action and adventure.
The Girl Who Owned a City (Laurel-Leaf Science Fiction)
By O. T. Nelson
Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grades 5 - 12 | Grades 3 - 8 | X | 4.7 | 49217 |
A killing virus has swept the earth, sparing only children through the age of twelve. There is chaos everywhere, even in formely prosperous mid-America. Gangs and fierce armies of children begin to form almost immediately. It would be the same for the children on Grand Avenue but for Lisa, a ten-year-old girl who becomes their leader. Because of Lisa, they have food, even toys, in abundance. And now they can protect themselves from the fierce gangs that roam the neighborhoods. But for how long? Then Lisa conceives the idea of a fortress, a city in which the children could live safely and happily always, and she intends to lead them there.
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
ISBN-13: 9780761350866
ISBN-10: 0761350861
Published on 8/1/2012
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 216