Saturday, January 18, 2014

Raiders’ Ransom

Title: Raiders’ Ransom
Author: Emily Diamand
Age Range: 9-12 years ; grades 3-8
Genre: dystopian

This lively, British adventure tale is set in the next century after an apocalyptic climate change has submerged most of England and returned society to the Dark Ages. A young orphan girl, Lilly, embarks on an adventure involving a “jewel” (actually a relic from the high-tech 21st century), the kidnapped daughter of the prime minster, and the son of the leader of a lawless band of raiders. Lots of adventure, peril, and betrayal, and even a rescue or two follow at a fast clip. A few of the scenes offer scary and/or gruesome description, but there is also some humor in the characters’ misunderstanding of technology of the past (computers, referred to as "‘puters", are sort of mythical items). I suspect there are also some inside jokes involving British names, places, and practices that might go over the heads of those on this side of the Atlantic, but it doesn’t hinder the understanding of the book overall. I listened to Raiders’ Ransom in audio book format at the suggestion of two patrons, both of whom enjoyed it while on family trips. The audio book features a boy reader and a girl reader, reflecting the dual points of view found in the story.

Find it in the catalog.

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