But on the other hand, we're also talking about the families we choose, the people we find along the way in life who provide us with love, safety, support, and more.īecause here's the thing about the families we're born into: They aren't always good fits for us.

On one hand, we're talking about stepparents and single parents and kids raised by grandparents-all those different ways that the families we're born into can look. What is Ship Breaker About and Why Should I Care? And when you read it, you'll find that even though there's no Ishmael or great white whale, this is one oceanic adventure you don't want to miss. Pablo Bacigalupi's novel, published in 2010, was a National Book Award Finalist (2010), it won a Printz Award (2011), and it was named a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year. It's also a story about a boy who has to figure out who his family really is, whether a girl is worth his life, and how to do the right thing. Then now's probably a good time to mention that it's brimming with political intrigue, killer storms, genetically modified half-men, dangerous escapes, battles at sea, and fights for survival. How about the fact that it's set in futuristic New Orleans, on a beach, on some ships, and in the slums? You totally want to read it now, right? Oh wait… that's not enough to pique your interest? Hm. The novel renders painfully realistic consequences of climate change through the eyes of an adolescent, exposing young readers to the importance of environmental stewardship and presenting a sobering look at a possible future.Ship Breakeris a story about a boy who breaks ships. Ship Breaker was a National Book Award finalist and was followed by two sequels, The Drowned Cities in 2012 and Tool of War in 2017. An accident introduces Nailer to the stranded daughter of a powerful local merchant, and the two embark on a perilous adventure towards safety and, hopefully, a new home. In Ship Breaker, the polar ice caps have melted and humanity has reverted to a near-feudal existence where Nailer, a teenager under the abusive care of a drug-addicted father, works on a crew scavenging copper and other valuable materials from derelict ships on the shores of the now-underwater Gulf Coast region. Paolo Bacigalupi has often written dystopian novels about the aftermath of environmental collapse, and his first young-adult book, published in 2010, is no different.

Ship breaker novel