J. Stone

• Intended genre and audience : Not stated.
I'd venture to say dystopia with some horror & western elements thrown in, and a sort-of-steampunk feel (yes, it can get "busy" at times). Possibly for a YA audience ? The language is clear as rainwater and the characters not overly complex so the tale would be accessible to juvenile readers able to read a short novel, but there are some fairly gory moments.

• The heroine is of a type I could see more of, a tinker and a hacker, an active agent show more who survives mostly by her brains and a bit of brawn, more often the rescuer than the rescued, and thankfully NOT involved in the "mandatory" over-invasive romance that comes with many YA dystopias. Her romantic/sexual preferences do make a minor appearance (she happens to be rather matter-of-factly a lesbian or possibly bisexual, no explicit content or drama involved), but for the most part she's understandably too busy taking care of other things, like saving her own skin, that of her loved ones and improving the life of a good chunk of the world as she knows it.

• A general feel that I'd describe as... cartoony ? Both in good and bad.
The pacing is enjoyably brisk.
Most of the tech and science featured are given the “rule of cool” and cartoon treatment, one that doesn't break the pace of action and would probably work very well visually but can get very shaky if you actually slow down to think about it. So you'll see instant mutagens cooked on the corner of a kitchen table, mid-fight jury-rigging, disparate generations of tech crammed together even when it doesn't really make sense...

• The book (read as a Kindle e-book on the stand-alone app for Windows) is cleanly edited with no or few enough mistakes (maybe some unexplained minor font size variations ?). The language is very plain and shouldn't be an obstacle to anyone's understanding of the story, but while there's a relatively successful effort at giving characters in dialogues individual voices befitting their station, personality, etc... it feels very flat whenever the "neutral" narrative voice is speaking. Very, very flat.

• The end feels very abrupt. show less

The impact of the entrance of women in droves into the workforce, tipping the 50/50 balance of men-to-women in many industries starting in the 1980s, is hard to overstate. The viral video by Helen Andrews, "Overcoming the Feminization of Culture", was brief, and the subject deserves a full and fair treatment. The treatment we are given here is neither.

Last-minute "cramming" for an exam will not make any permanent addition to a person's knowledge. A much better way to learn vocabulary is by associations.

Link the vocabulary word to a rhyming word or phrase. Come up with a sentence linking the words, then add a mental image for the sentence. In the image, it's totally acceptable to substitute an out-of-place item; imagine things much larger, or smaller, than normal; the funnier, or more absurd, the image is, the easier it is to remember. show more The book also has a pronunciation guide.

Each vocabulary word in this book is followed by its pronunciation, then by the type of word it is (noun, verb, adverb). A short definition of the word comes before a pair of sentences using the word. Then there are several synonyms and antonyms. A humorous image illustrates the sentence with the rhyming word.

Students learn in many different ways. This book looks at several such ways. It is recommended for students of all ages. show less

This book is intended to help students in grades 4 - 8 to learn some vocabulary words.

A lot is packed into each page. The word is followed by its pronunciation, and the type of word that it is (noun, verb, adjective). There is a short definition of the word, followed by a pair of sentences using the word. Antonyms and synonyms (remember them?) are included, and then there is a silly cartoon illustrating the word. In the back of the book are review exercises involving each of the new words, show more to reinforce the learning.

Children learn in many different ways; what works for one child may not work for another child. This is a gem of a book. The average middle school student should have no problem understanding this book. It is recommended for older students who might need some vocabulary help. It is also recommended for recent immigrants to America who are attempting to navigate their way through the English language. show less