Tom Pow

Just plain didn't like this one. I thought it read like a first draft, so many sentences seem disjointed and incorrectly constructed. And there is rapid overuse of the word "for" at the beginning of sentences. "For of course no Zone could contain his appetite for space.", "For when the trucks run out," etc. It's as though the author wants them to have some dramatic impact, but the overuse prevents this from happening.

Maybe rapid is the wrong word, but it's one of those things that you start show more to notice and then every time it happens again you cringe.

It's one of those stories that doesn't really explain itself. Something has happened to the world, there are Zones and Invisible Cities and people shunned by society; but no real reason as to why. There is very little world building but things are obviously immensely different.

The characters don't seem to go by their real names and, again, there's no real explanation as to why (except for Skreech, who is feigning life as a boy), but everyone else seems to get this big end of chapter moment when they reveal their name. Again, it's never explained why people are like this. Why do they hide their names or give themselves other names? Why is that such a big deal?

Another unexplained plot-line is that Bradley can talk to his dog, and I'm still yet to figure out if this is just Bradley thinking his dog is replying or if they do have some sort of telepathy going on, it's not really explained. Or if it is, I missed it. There's a lot of boring and lengthy discussion between characters that just seem to stop the narrative in its tracks.

The novel is interspersed with chapters of random flashbacks that immediately stop the action of the narrative. Our protagonist, Bradley, and his dog have been captured by this street gang of dog fighting kids led by a maniac, and we break away for pages and pages about Bradley's life with his family before whatever happened to the world happened. They are explained as Bradley's dreams, but a character experiencing a dream does not take up an entire chapter. Ditto for storytelling. As in characters in the narrative sitting down to listen to an Old Woman tell them stories. They don't do this once, they do it often. Again, it slows the story to a crawl.

It also relies on one of my least favourite narrative tropes, where the weak girl in the gang is the one who gets kidnapped and the boy has to save her. I get annoyed reading on and on about Bradley's adventure to find and save his friend, Floris, but I would rather be reading Floris saving herself. Maybe that's just me!

Avoid this one, took me forever to finish it. Very disappointing, I expected a lot more from the author with his credentials. show less

I find it interesting that this book can't be found on this website! Although, I had never heard of this book myself either. However, this book was a nice little read! It is a life lesson that any curious child may ask at any time in their lives! Who is the world for? What is their purpose in this world? Etc. This story not only shows the young boy who asks who the world is for, but it also shows many animals asking the same question! I think it is great how the author thought of such a show more creative way to think of this aspect since everyone and everything will probably someday wonder the same thing!
I enjoy how it begins with a bear cub asking his mom who the world is for, but progresses from there to a variety of animals asking the same thing! The parents of the children then simply show their youngsters how the world is for all of them!
I thoroughly enjoy the ending of the story as the father talks to his son and tells him how the world, for his father, is his very own son! It is a cute personal touch to the story that would move any reader. show less

Three families taking a day-trip together while on vacation, find themselves caught in the middle of guerilla actions. Martin's family of four is separated because the youngest son, Nick, was traveling in a vehicle with an elderly couple. The guerillas dismiss them as hostages, but quickly take the two remaining carloads. Six hostages - two sets of parents and two teenagers, Martin and Louise - are taken into the jungle. As they travel and camp together, the adults find their own methods for show more dealing with their captivity, but the teens soon become familiar with one of the guerillas - Eduardo. In fact, Louise falls in love with him. Through Eduardo, they learn about their captors and the conditions that have brought them all together. When it ends, Martin's father becomes a celebrity on talk shows because he has produced a book from the diary he kept and the drawings made by his wife. Martin, however, sees the story differently and cannot bring himself to reconcile with his parents. Readers may momentarily experience some confusion as the story switches from the diary format to prose, but will soon realize that they are now listening to Martin's views of the events. And it is through Martin's voice that the reader truly begins to become connected to the story and its characters. This title may be for thoughtful readers who will keep reading in order to find the beauty at the end. show less

A little girl and her daddy hold a bedtime conversation about animals. And daddies. One thing that animals and daddies have in common is - the love their babies! A sweet daddy-daughter read with colorful, engaging pictures. The repetition, though, can be a bit... repetitious. Otherwise, great read.