Nation

Pratchett, T. (2008). Nation. New York: HarperCollins.

ISBN: 978-0-06-143301-6

Annotation: A tsunami destroys the island that Mao lives on,along with his family, all of the villagers, and every aspect of society that he has ever known.

Summary: Mao is coming of age in an island culture in the early 1900s. He leaves the island on his quest to become a man, and gets caught in a tsunami that destroys his island and all of its inhabitants. He has to learn to be a chief and to help create a new island community for all the people who survived the giant wave-- including an English teen named Ermintrude (who promptly changes her name to Daphne).

Evaluation: This book is a fabulous story about an island teen learning to become a man. He loses his entire family, village, and way of life in one huge wave and he somehow has to pick up the pieces and move on. With help from Daphne, some sign language, and a bevy of other islanders coming for sanctuary from cannibals, Mao has to learn to stand up for what is right and trust himself.

Age Level: 12+