Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix



Published: November 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 210
copy:  Library
Summary: Goodreads

In a war-torn future United States, fifteen-year-old Tessa, her childhood friend Gideon, now a traumatized military hero, and Dek, a streetwise orphan, enter enemy territory and discover the shocking truth about a war that began more than seventy-five years earlier.

 At just over 200 pages The Always War is a very quick read with the story moving at a fast pace.  A little thin on details for me, but there were one or two surprises that I didn't see coming.\

It was interesting to see how Tessa, Gideon and Dek were manipulated and how they arrived at their own conclusions - or so they think.  For me, the message in this book was that it is ok to ask questions.  We don't always have to follow along lilke sheep just because something has always been done a certain way. 

The world these characters live in seemed eerily plausible and frighteningly possible - a sentient coomputer that stays true to its programming - not so impobable these days, is it?  Not quite my usual genre, but an entertaining novel all the same. The Always War is a perfect dystopian novel for younger teens or reluctant readers.

1 comment: