I love books about young women who push against boundaries, both external and internal, and Aggie does both in Freefall. The first-person, present-tense narrative lends an intimacy and immediacy that makes Aggie's excitement, doubts, and adventures -- both physical and emotional -- engaging and dramatic. At the same time, the setting and story are so different from the lives of most readers, they'll be transported to a whole new world. ( )

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you were required to serve two years in the military once you've turned 18?

Aggie's eighteenth birthday is approaching, and as a teen in Israel, she must serve her time in the Israel Defense Force. Aggie doesn't want a boring job stuck in an office filing paperwork for two years. So she decides to try for a combat unit.

Aggie's mother is scared and sees her as weak, her friends aren't quite sure about her decision, and Aggie herself has her doubts about if she can really make it hauling sandbags, sleeping in a tent, and gaining enough weight to be considered. She's also developing a crush on her best friend's brother, and life is getting more and more confusing by the minute.

When war breaks out and rockets destroy a friend's house, Aggie decides she needs to be there to help out. But will she be brave enough and strong enough to make it through?

FREEFALL is an engaging look at teens facing military service.. Aggie may be in Israel, but her story is one that can resonate with teens everywhere. She has difficulty with her family, she has doubts about her abilities, and she's unsure about the future. It's easy to feel as though you're there with Aggie as she's struggling with her decisions and you want her to make it. The touch of romance with Noah added sweetness to the story and made Aggie's tale seem even more real to me.

Highly recommended for readers looking for a different take on the familiar coming-of-age tale. ( )

What would your life be like if military service was compulsory, not voluntary? For 18-year-old Aggie, life is pretty stressful. Sure, she's got the normal teen girls things going on - crushes on boys, hanging out with her best friend - but she's also trying to decide which military service to join. Will she be happy pushing pencils at a desk for the next two years? How about auditioning for the entertainment corps with her best friend? No... Aggie's got something different in mind: an elite combat group. But does she have what it takes to get in? And if she does get in, is it what she really wants?

The interesting concept and likeable characters will hook teens who will find a lot to think about and discuss in this book. This would make a great book discussion title or conversation starter and it's sure to spark an interest in Israel. Hand this one to kids who wonder about teens in other parts of the world.

Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/200... ( )

Didn't grab me after the first 20 pages so I abandoned it. Don't usually do that, but life is too short to keep reading books that take too long to get going. If I'm wrong, and it turned out to be an incredible story, someone please let me know. ( )

Eighteen-year-old Abigail Jacobs is faced with two years in compulsory military service in the Israeli Defense Force. She has to gain weight, leave her childhood friends, and abandon fear to get what she wants.

What’s worse is that her family doesn’t believe that she could do it. Her friends are dumb-founded. Why would she do something like this? Can’t she just work in an office?

When things start to play in the right direction: she is in love, her military unit goes a step higher…. She finds herself in the midst of war. Now it is real.

This book was a wonderful read. I like how Author Anna Levine explained the feelings of a girl who is scared to be in love and war. Aggie is such a likeable character that I couldn’t stop reading.

The Israeli Defense Force is an interesting topic and I was fascinated how well this book played out. This book takes place during the 2006 Lebanon War in Israel.

The way the people’s emotions are described makes everything feel real, that their emotions are real. I like that Anna Levine picked a topic worth reading about. I enjoyed every minute while reading this book. ( )