I challenge anyone to read this story and get to the end without shedding a tear. The forward by Jon Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars" introduces us to Esther Earl and how the author met her. She later become the inspiration for the character Hazel in the "Fault in Our Stars". However, while Esther and the fictional character Hazel, share the fact that both have thyroid cancer, Esther's story is all her own. Reading this book, gives us a rare glimpse into her diary entries, her stories and art and also the letters and stories people share about Esther. Her parents share their own thoughts and parts of the blog that they contributed to during their daughter's illness. It is the online community though, that Esther is a part of and the friendships made there, that are really eye opening. We often think of online associations as fragile and not 'real' but the connections that Esther made and the online communities she helped nurture are as real as any you will ever experience. I felt privileged to have read this book and to know her story.
This novel, written for adults, would be perfectly fine for older teen readers. The story is told in the voice of five year old Anna who struggles to escape with her younger brother when her parents are mortally wounded in a bear attack at their campsite. You will be right there with Anna and her brother "Stick" in this harrowing tale of survival.
This sequel to Breathe has characters you care about and being told in the voices of Bea, Quinn, Ronan and Alina we hear each of their stories. The story picks up when the Grove has been destroyed as well as the trees that were a hope of bringing oxygen levels back to normal on the planet. The survivors flee to Sequoia, another sanctuary of the resistance. What they find however is far worse than any sanctuary that they could have imagined.
Read this prequel to the Maze Runner series by James Dashner and find out how sun flares hit the earth and this series of survival began. Not only are Earth's remaining inhabitants having to deal with this environmental tragedy but then a disease that leads to lunacy takes hold. Meet Mark and Trina and see how they negotiate this horrific landscape and the events that lead to the formation of WICKED and plans that are even more devastating than the initial planet devastation.
