Icebreaker

May 11, 2015
Tanner (the Keepers trilogy) offers an unusual take on the post-apocalyptic genre with this chilly tale of life board a massive ship that has been traversing the frozen seas for three centuries, ever since the Anti-Machinist movement caused the collapse of society. Having long forgotten their original purpose, the residents of the icebreaker Oyster have separated into three tribes that exist in an uneasy state of low-level conflict. Bullied and shunned, 13-year-old Petrel belongs to no tribe, but when the Oyster finds a mysterious boy stranded on an iceberg, she helps to protect him; they become unlikely allies as the ship descends into chaos and open warfare. Tanner’s portrayal of a culture that has lost its way, as well as conflicts between science and faith, provides a complex, thought-provoking backdrop to Petrel’s tale of self-reliance and Fin’s crisis of loyalties. These interior journeys are just one part of a fast-paced adventure featuring talking rats, a rusting mazelike setting, and growing tension, which leaves things wide open for the next installment of the Hidden trilogy. Ages 9–12. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

Ann Marie Gideon expertly narrates this mystery, set entirely aboard the ship OYSTER, which has been sailing a frozen ocean for 300 years, causing its crew to devolve into three tense factions. Gideon's depiction of each character is so unique that listeners can easily identify what tribe each belongs to: Braid, for officers; Grease, for engineers; or Dufftown, for kitchen staff. As Petrel, who has no caste and only two talking rats for friends, Gideon's tone expresses independence and conviction. The rescue of a boy on the ice causes a wave of suspicion to permeate the ship. But Petrel befriends him and tries to provide protection. Gideon has a special gift for rendering the layers of tension, suspicion, and fear penned by Tanner into a spine-tingling audio production. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-In a postapocalyptic world, 12-year-old Petrel, nicknamed the Nothing Girl, lives on a huge icebreaker ship called the Oyster. The ship has been sailing the same course for more than 300 years, and in that time, the crew has forgotten its original mission. Civil war has divided the crew into three uneasy tribes, and Petrel is the only person on board who doesn't belong to one. When a boy found stranded on an iceberg is brought onto the ship, Petrel befriends him and names him Fin. Fin is not as innocent as he seems, however, and his presence makes the tribes even more wary than usual. Petrel works frantically to help restore order to the ship while Fin secretly plots to destroy it. Despite the large cast of characters, narrator Anne Marie Gideon expertly narrates this production. She uses different voices for each character, and her pacing never wavers. VERDICT This title is the first in a planned trilogy, and listeners will welcome the next offering. ["Tanner's evocative prose allows readers to feel every dark, noisy crevice of the ship as well as the chill of the frozen wasteland that surrounds it": SLJ 6/15 starred review of the Feiwel & Friends book.]-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA

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