Andrea White

This book was written by an educator who shares with us a frightening future, where the US Dept of Entertainment controls education and society, ensuring that most of us are too busy watching tv to get out of the house and vote. Education beyond grade school is available only to the privileged, or via lottery overseen by the "Fair Play" act. If you don't win the scholarship your chances of a decent future are slim - so the $100,000 dollar prize offered in the History Survival Reality TV show more series (which serves as every citizen's history education)is looks pretty good. You might not live through the re-enactment of Scott's trek to the Antarctic, but, hey, what's to live for anyway? show less

I thought this was really well done. I am very interested in Chernobyl and Pripyat and have read a few books based in the area, as well as 'walked' it in the Ukrainian (Russian, perhaps?) version of Google street view. I've read all the tour reports and obviously have read a few nonfiction books on the topic too. I assume it's too do with my obsession with all things post apocalyptic - this is one of the closest accidents we've had in real world terms rather than fiction. I also very much show more believe in raising awareness of the issues that still exist today for the people who lived nearby and the people that still live there, as well as the existing problems in the area, which is still not safe and will not be for hundreds of years. I try to do my Christmas shopping through Chernobyl charities, and so on!

This book is a good young adult/early teen story. I'd be happy for my ten year old to read it, knowing I'll be able to answer any questions it raises, but it may be more suited for a slightly older child. I enjoyed it an adult, also. It does, as you could imagine, talk about death, and illness, as well as the concept of government cover ups and governments betraying the trust of their people, so not a light read for a youngster. Saying that, there's nothing graphic, violent, or sexual, so it might depend on which issues you are willing to introduce to your youngster!

It reads like a coming of age adventure book about a young girl, Katya, who lives in a small village in the Ukraine, half a mile from Pripyat, and whose father works at Chernobyl Nuclear Power station. Katya likes to explore the woods and imagine fairy folk, but she also likes motorbikes and has a crush on her bike-riding neighbour. One night, after an explosion at the Power plant, her whole life changes.

What I liked most was that this was an exciting fiction story about a young girl growing up, learning who to trust and believe, and how to think for herself, amidst a backdrop of upheaval and change. It works perfectly well just as that. However, what the author has also done, is to set this in a real world setting, surrounded by actual events as they unfolded, with real facts being used in amongst the fiction. It makes the whole tragic story seem real - as it was - and much more immediate than reading one of the many factual reports on the happenings at the time. It makes Pripyat in particular come to life and you can imagine what this now infamous ghost town must have been like before the accident. It doesn't bog you down in facts and figures and doesn't get stodgy or preachy - you discover the facts along with Katya and you feel her horror as she finds out the real details, but there's also a certain level of hope and a feel of life recovering and continuing.

Its a short, quick read at only 254 pages and easy to get into, with enough interesting characters and a likeable narrator in Katya that I think most people should give this a go - they might learn something while they enjoy the story, and I look forward to discussing it, and the topics it raises, with my son fairly soon. show less

In the year 2083, school past the age of 14 is based on a toss of the dice - or being rich enough to afford it, of course. For those unlucky enough to lose their Toss, life seems bleak indeed - until an episode of Historical Survivor (part of teleschool) offers 5 kids a chance at a scholarship if they reenact Robert Scott's doomed 1912 expedition to the South Pole. But Historical Survivor is very dangerous - and if 5 grown men couldn't escape death, what chance do 5 misfit teenagers show more have?

This story really gripped me - the five kids each have clearly drawn individual personalities, and they all grew on me. It was great to watch the kids struggle with the elements, unruly animals and each other rather than having one of those insta-bonding experiences. Instead their combined experiences slowly forms a real and believable bond. I grew to care about all of the characters, and I really enjoyed the scenes set in the studio as well. The message at the end was both heartening and fitting. White really pulled it off with Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083.

More at my blog. show less

After a bit of a slow start my attention was totally captivated by Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083. This YA novel is author Andrea Whites’ futuristic look at America, and her vision isn’t pretty. A group of 14 year olds are sent to Antarctica to re-enact the Scott Polar Expedition for a television reality show. In 2083, television has become the governments’ tool to control the population. In order to obtain high ratings, the Secretary of Education, manipulates the show to ensure show more that the teens experience life-threatening situations, and if a teen should happen to die, well, so much the better for the ratings.

The five teens volunteered for the show hoping to win money for their future education or lifestyle. They are unaware of the dangerous situation they are entering, their thinking is that as they are children, there will be adults around to help them. They do not understand that the cameras have been implanted in their bodies and they are totally on their own.

I found the ending a little rushed, as if the author didn’t know exactly how to resolve each character’s story and just went for a quick close. So, a slow start, a rushed ending and lots of adventure in-between. I would certainly investigate any other books this author has written as I thought this one, even with it’s flaws, had plenty to offer. show less