Not the End of the World - Softcover

McCaughrean, Geraldine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 006076032X ISBN 13: 9780060760328

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2006

Synopsis

The end of the world is a busy time if you mean to outlive it.

So says Timna—sole daughter of Noah—as she and her family prepare to face the flood that will cleanse the Earth. But during the forty days and nights before the waters recede, the inhabitants of the Ark experience more than just a simple boat ride.

As events take a terrifying turn, and as lines between right and wrong increasingly blur, Timna must find it in her heart to question her father when no one else will.

About this title

About the Author:

Geraldine McCaughrean is the Printz Award-winning author of The White Darkness. She has been honored with England's most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal, and is the only three-time winner ever of the Whitbread Children's Book Award. She also wrote Peter Pan in Scarlet, the first official sequel to the treasured masterpiece Peter Pan, and the critically acclaimed The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. Geraldine lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband and actress daughter.

From School Library Journal:

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–McCaughrean moves far beyond cozy picture-book images of arks and animals to what life onboard might really have been like for Noah and family. The monstrous tidal wave that crashes in the first pages sets the scene and puts the huge boat afloat. Although McCaughrean allows both human and animal narrators to offer their perspectives on the ordeal, the main storyteller is Noah's daughter, Timna. Despite Noah's warnings that demons might seek a place onboard, she helps rescue a young boy and his baby sister from drowning. Japheth and his reluctant wife help her care for the children but devote most of their attention to the animals. Shem, convinced of his own righteousness, cares only for his own unborn child and the future glory of his line. The foul air, rotting food, and continuing crises take their toll on all of the creatures trapped in the huge boat. Yet Noah never doubts God's plan or the persistence of miracles. Only his wife, in the presence of the other women, ultimately questions God's reasons and figures out a way to save Timna and the stowaways. Vivid descriptions help readers hear the cries of the drowning and experience the claustrophobia of shipboard life. Distinct voices for humans and animals add to the textual richness. The novel, which won the Whitbread Children's Book Award, raises thought-provoking questions in its expansion and exploration of an ancient tale.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 006076032X
• ISBN 13: 9780060760328
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256