Zenith - Hardcover

Bertagna, Julie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802798039 ISBN 13: 9780802798039

Publisher: Walker Childrens, 2009

Synopsis

The thrilling sequel to internationally acclaimed Exodus.

In this compelling continuation of Julie Bertagna's timely trilogy, the search for a future remains a terrifying fight for survival. Sixteen-year-old Mara and her ship of refugees are tracking the North Star in search of land in the mountains of Greenland to call home. A Gypsea boy named Tuck, orphaned when Mara's ship plows through his floating city, becomes inextricably linked to their fate. Meanwhile, back in the drowned ruins at the feet of the towering sky city, Fox begins his battle with the cruel, corrupt rulers of the New World. Forced to make their own new beginnings in a savage world, three teens must struggle to make sense of the past, overcome the harsh dangers of the present, and build a future worth living.

About this title

About the Author

JULIE BERTAGNA started her career as a teacher and freelance feature writer for major Scottish newspapers and has established a reputation as an author of powerful and original fiction for young people. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and daughter. www.juliebertagna.com

Reviews

Grade 9 Up–A well-written and well-paced sequel to Exodus (Walker, 2008). Mara has sailed away with a group of people to find a land that may or may not exist at the top of the world. Fox, her true love and co-revolutionary, has chosen to stay behind to fight the corrupt government. Mara communicates with him using their stolen cyberwizz technology. Tuck is a sticky-fingered, misunderstood boy from a floating atoll of scavengers whose existence is said to have brought bad luck to his family and his town. After the ship that Mara is on destroys part of his town, he sees his chance of escape and stows away on it. Their quest to build a future while trying to survive will keep teens involved from the first chapter. While familiarity with the first book is not a necessity, it is recommended. Fans of postapocalyptic fiction will snap this novel up.–June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

*Starred Review* In this sequel to Exodus (2008), 16-year-old Mara guides a ship of refugees north from New Mungo, hoping to find safe haven in Greenland now that their globally warmed world is almost completely submerged. Upon arrival their ship is sunk and they are enslaved by the barbaric inhabitants of Ilira, who live in apartment-style caves shuttered by automobile doors scavenged from the sea. Eventually Mara and a few others escape, hiking to an interior valley with a glacial lake where they settle permanently. Although told alternately by Mara, Fox, and Tuck, this is mostly Mara’s story—a plucky, imperfect heroine leading the way to an uncertain future in a hostile world filled with inhabitants who do whatever it takes to survive. Still, signs of hope emerge: Mara’s (and Fox’s) baby is born just as the group discovers their promised land; Fox finds encouragement in his campaign against world corruption; and Tuck rehabilitates himself from pirate and thief to builder of fantastic bridges. Sadly, Mara and Fox can no longer communicate (Tuck has stolen part of her cyberwizz, a tool for surfing the Weave), but with a forthcoming final volume in the works, fans can still hope for a reunion. Grades 6-10. --Kay Weisman

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802798039
• ISBN 13: 9780802798039
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352