Nation

Starred review from August 11, 2008
In Carnegie Medalist Pratchett’s (the Discworld novels; A Hat Full of Sky
) superb mix of alternate history and fantasy, the king of England, along with the next 137 people in line to the throne, has just succumbed to the plague; the era might be akin to the 1860s or ’70s. As the heir apparent is being fetched from his new post as governor of an island chain in the South Pelagic Ocean, his daughter, the redoubtable Ermintrude, still en route to join him in the South Pelagic, has been shipwrecked by a tsunami. She meets Mau, whose entire people have been wiped out by the great wave (he escaped their fate only because he was undergoing an initiation rite on another island). She and Mau each suffer profound crises of faith, and together they re-establish Mau’s nation from other survivors who gradually wash up on shore and rediscover (with guidance from spirits) its remarkable lost heritage. Neatly balancing the somber and the wildly humorous in a riveting tale of discovery, Pratchett shows himself at the height of his powers. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from October 1, 2008
Gr 7-10-In this first novel for young people set outside of Discworld, Pratchett again shows his humor and humanity. Worlds are destroyed and cultures collide when a tsunami hits islands in a vast ocean much like the Pacific. Mau, a boy on his way back home from his initiation period and ready for the ritual that will make him a man, is the only one of his people, the Nation, to survive. Ermintrude, a girl from somewhere like Britain in a time like the 19th century, is on her way to meet her father, the governor of the Mothering Sunday islands. She is the sole survivor of her ship (or so she thinks), which is wrecked on Mau's island. She reinvents herself as Daphne, and uses her wits and practical sense to help the straggling refugees from nearby islands who start arriving. When raiders land on the island, they are led by a mutineer from the wrecked ship, and Mau must use all of his ingenuity to outsmart him. Then, just as readers are settling in to thinking that all will be well in the new world that Daphne and Mau are helping to build, Pratchett turns the story on its head. The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor. Daphne is a close literary cousin of Tiffany Aching in her common sense and keen intelligence wedded to courage. A rich and thought-provoking read."Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 9, 2008
When Mau returns home from his coming-of-age quest, he finds that a tsunami has wiped out his entire people. Also on the island is a shipwreck survivor, Ermintrude, an English miss now calling herself Daphne. Daphne does not know that she, too, is one of the last of her line. At home, in an alternate 19th-century Britain, a plague has all but destroyed the royal succession. Now her father is king and desperate to find her. Together Mau and Daphne work to rebuild some form of civilization, leading a ragtag group of other survivors who make their way to their island "nation." Why It Is a Best: The author's mix of absurd humor and rollicking adventure sugarcoats his larger theme: how do you build again when everything you know-your security, your idols, and your culture-is stripped away? Why It Is for Us: At times, Pratchett stops the action to ruminate on the relationship between humans and the gods, familiar stuff for fans of his Good Omens (1990). Readers of a certain age will wonder whether he wentto the Monty Python school of comedy-Gentlemen of Last Resort, cannibals from the Land of Many Fires, and regurgitating Grandfather birds abound.-Angelina Benedetti, King Cty. Lib. Syst., WA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2008
Somewhere in the South Pelagic Ocean, a tidal wave wipes out the population of a small islandexcept for Mau, who was paddling his dugout canoe home after a month spent alone, preparing to become a man. The wave also sweeps a sailing ship carrying Daphne, an English girl, up onto the island and deposits it in the rain forest, where Mau finds her. Over the months that follow, they learn to communicate while welcoming more people to their shores and building a community of survivors. Mau searches for the meaning behind his peoples gods, while Daphne applies her nineteenth-century knowledge of science and history to the many puzzles she discovers in this unfamiliar place. Broad in its scope and concrete in its details, this unusual novel strips away the trappings of two very different nations to consider whatit is peoplevalue and why. Certain scenes are indelible: Maus nonverbal communication to Daphne that a pregnant woman has landed, and she must help with the birth; or theterrifying yet awesome descent intoa cave. Quirky wit and broad vision make thisa fascinating survival storyon many levels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)