Dark Life | Kat Falls
Ty isn't your regular pioneer. He was one of the first children born to the undersea homesteaders after rising waters covered the land as we know it. From his brief trips to the surface, he knows he's a little different - like his luminescent skin, for example. But that's just a side effect of his diet, he's certain of that. Those born in the underwater colony don't have a Dark Gift, no matter what science reports have claimed. When he meets a Topseaer in search of her older brother, he quickly comes to find that everything he knows about his aquatic home might be a lie.
Wow. I've been pretty bad reader, haven't I? Partly, its the transition in my new job. I've been reading a lot of material on teaching, lesson plans and an upcoming unit on study skills. And there's the fact that I had a second, unexpected round of strep throat. And the fact the holidays are looming and large boxes of books keep appearing and... Phew. Dark Life was pretty excellent. I liked the description of the undersea world and the concept of a pioneer story. Ty is a relatable character and his relationships with his family, neighbors and Gemma are engaging. I most liked talking to one of my students about this story, as he had already read it. I'm all for this trend of natutical dystopian stories, a la Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker. I'm not too thrilled to learn on Goodreads that this is a series, however. Despite the proflieration of series for middle grade readers, I've noticed that sometimes my students just want a stand-alone title. I thought this did very nicely on it's own, with a semi-open-ended ending that could just as very well left the reader feeling satisfied without needing a second (or third or fourth) title to be writte.- Posted from Jersey City, NJ
Posted on Friday, Nov 26, 2010
