Zenith

By Julie Bertagna

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Apr 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9780802723826

Julie Bertagna

After an early career as a teacher and freelance feature writer for major Scottish newspapers, Julie Bertagna has quickly established a reputation as an author of powerful and original fiction for young people. EXODUS, her first novel for Macmillan, was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year Award and won the Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award and the Angus Award. THE OPPOSITE OF CHOCOLATE was shortlisted for the Book Trust Teenage Prize 2004. Julie lives in Glasgow with her husband and daughter.

Reviews for Zenith

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Didn't hold my interest the way the first one did. This sort of plods along without any big surprises or reveals along that way (and things that are supposed to be big surprises are telegraphed long in advance). There's very little sense that anyone's situation is as bad as it is--the words say it but the tone is ho-hum. In several places there are too-clever elements thrown in, like the discovery of a Tupperware box ("my great-grandmother used to have one of these; it keeps things fresh"), which pulled me out of the story due to my eyes rolling pretty far from the page.

There's a third book coming. I'll probably read it because I'm a completest that way, but I don't really care that much what happens to any of these characters. (Note: if you're going to read this anyway, try to keep details from the first fresh in your brain, because there's not a lot of recap here.)

[seekingflight · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Exodus, the first book in this series about a world where the ice caps have melted, much of the world has been flooded, and refugees seek safety and shelter as best that they can, while the wealthy live in amazing ‘sky cities’. I was more disappointed by this second book in which Mara leads a band of refugees north; Fox stays behind under the sky city, hoping to change the world in which he once lived; and we encounter Tuck, who lives in a flotilla of boats and has rarely if ever set foot on land. Some of the details are interesting, but I wasn’t captivated by the plot to anywhere near the same extent as I was with the first book. I suppose like any trilogy judgment needs to wait until after the third and final book, but I thought it didn't have the depth (or novelty) of the first book and wasn't as gripping plot-wise.

[sheilaruth-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall I enjoyed the story, but I felt like Bertagna tried to cram too much and too many characters in the story, and it didn't hang together as well as Exodus. Which is too bad, because I loved Exodus and was looking forward to reading this one.

[karenball_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sequel to Exodus. Mara has left the floating city of New Mungo with a cargo ship full of refugees, and Fox has stayed behind to try to change his grandfather's government. Mara believes in the idea that there is land in the far north, and the ship is pointed in that direction. On the way, the ship accidentally destroys part of another floating city, Pomperoy, and the people there sail north, tracking the ship and plotting revenge. Tuck is a boy in Pomperoy whose mother was killed in the accident, and though he has much reason for revenge, he is more interested in the land -- something he has never seen before. Can those who have only known water make a life on the land, and will the violent people of Greenland allow them to stay and live in peace? The first book is stronger in plot and depth, but I have a feeling the events of the second are setting up an amazing conclusion to this trilogy. Good apocalyptic flooded world sci-fi: some battle scenes and more mature themes. For 7th grade and up,

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: The ship Mara commandeered from the sky city of New Mungo is headed north, with its diverse passengers of Treenesters, urchins, and boat city Refugees. They're headed for the land known as Greenland, Mara's last hope of solid ground in the drowned world of 2100. However, tensions are running high amongst the refugees, a problem that is worsened when they reach land - only to find it already inhabited by a harsh, cruel people. Troubles are magnified upon the arrival of Tuck, a Gypsea boy, whose pirate-ish people have followed Mara's ship and are bent on a fight. Will Mara and her people ever find somewhere to call home?Review: While still interesting, intelligent, and a quick read, Zenith suffered somewhat from second-book-of-the-trilogy syndrome. I think that's inherent to the format, though; the first book introduces a new world, and hooks you in with a quick adventure, and the final book of a trilogy gets the big showy finale, but the second book's job is usually just to set up a bunch of plot threads to be resolved later.This is precisely the case with Zenith - a whole lot of set-up, but not a lot of pay-off. Because it's inherent to the trilogy format, I can't dock the book too much, but it still left me feeling somewhat incomplete. I also wasn't crazy about the way various story elements were handled - Fox's story in particular seemed like it could have used more action and less of him sitting around moping. I'll reserve final judgement until I see how all of the various threads that were left dangling are played out in the final book of the trilogy... but since Zenith is only recently published, I may have to wait a while.I don't mean this review to come across as negative - plenty of the elements that made Exodus so enjoyable are present here as well. Mara is a very identifiable protagonist; the future that Bertagna gives us is frighteningly plausible and well-thought-out; the book moves along at a quick clip; Bertagna's writing has gotten smoother and more self-assured (although she's sticking with the present tense, which is not my favorite style choice); and best of all, this book makes you think about our impact on the Earth and on future generations without getting preachy. I'll forgive a host of (as yet) unresolved plot threads for a book that manages to be simultaneously intellectually meaty and excitingly action-packed. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: I still think young teens everywhere should be encouraged to read this series, but it's got substantial crossover appeal as well, particularly for adults who are looking for a story on a very serious topic that disguises itself as a light, enjoyable, quick-moving read.