New City by Deborah Abela, ISBN 9781742758558,
Random House Australia
REVIEWED BY VERONICA, 11, NSW
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.
New City is the sequel to Grimsdon, but you don’t need to read the first book to appreciate New City.
The book is set after the events of Grimsdon, when Isabella, adult friend Jeremiah, and her other friends, who survived together in the first book, are taken from the flooded Grimsdon to the beautiful New City. They are treated like heroes and live in luxury. But is it such a wonderful place, or do darker secrets lie beneath?
The kids have faced sea monsters and evil lords, but now they have new threats to face.
New City shows how the people can make change happen, and how just one person can make a change in the world. I like how Deborah has used real events from our times for her own story, and she has made her characters likeable and believable. They have developed over the course of the story and you can see their friendship with each other.
Deborah’s writing is is simple and sweet. But I do believe that some of Deborah’s ideas are unrealistic.
As this is set in the future, all sorts of new inventions have been invented, like invisible wings called Ornithopters. They have cameras everywhere, and hi-tech technology is a solid part of the people’s lives. Yet, they still use eagles as messenger birds, when technology would’ve normally replaced them.
Deborah has brought out a unique story that will be enjoyable for children of ages 9 and up. If you enjoy adventures in worlds that are both like and unlike our own, then this book is worth a try. In my opinion, this is an improvement on Grimsdon. Deborah has explored new ideas and has presented them well. I rate New City 4 stars out of 5.
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Do you think you’d enjoy this book? You can read a sample of New City on the publisher’s website.
Veronica is a member of our Top Reads Team, and this is her first book review on Alphabet Soup’s blog. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
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