2024 the best young adult books review

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In this captivating and lavishly illustrated young adult edition of her award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller, Laura Hillenbrand tells the story of a former Olympian's courage, cunning, and fortitude following his plane crash in enemy territory. This adaptation of Unbroken introduces a new generation to one of history's most thrilling survival epics. 
 
On a May afternoon in 1943, an American military plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary sagas of the Second World War.
 
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he had been a clever delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and stealing. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a supreme talent that carried him to the Berlin Olympics. But when war came, the athlete became an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
 
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a sinking raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would respond to desperation with ingenuity, suffering with hope and humor, brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would hang on the fraying wire of his will.
 
Featuring more than one hundred photographs plus an exclusive interview with Zamperini, this breathtaking odyssey—also captured on film by director Angelina Jolie—is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the ability to endure against the unlikeliest of odds.

Praise for Unbroken

"This adaptation of Hillenbrand's adult bestseller is highly dramatic and exciting, as well as painful to read as it lays bare man's hellish inhumanity to man."—Booklist, STARRED

"This captivating book emphasizes the importance of determination, the will to survive against impossible odds, and support from family and friends. A strong, well-written work."—SLJ

"This fine adaptation ably brings an inspiring tale to young readers."—Kirkus

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Children's Books; Reprint edition (April 25, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385742525
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385742528
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 11+ years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 850L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.85 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Sara
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great story
Review: This purchase was a mandatory summer read for my daughter. She really enjoyed the book and wanted to learn more about the main character after it was over.

Reviewer: schoolmom
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Every Human being should read this book!
Review: First, I really hope that Laura Hillenbrand is reading this review because I want to thank her. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know how much of a historical book is fiction versus nonfiction versus propaganda. Laura wrote this book in such a way that it really makes you give gratitude for your freedom and for the men who fought for our country. I am so thankful that Laura wrote this book in the time frame that she did because we’ve lost that generation of war heroes, so to be able to interview them and read their stories is priceless. With the documentation of the interviews and Acknowledgements, this book is a Historical treasure. Laura, thank you so much for writing this story. Hopefully after reading this biography, more people will be grateful to those who suffered for us and proud to be an American. Best book I’ve read in a long time!

Reviewer: Diana
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Best book ever
Review: Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken is a book that will leave a lasting impression on any reader. The biography of Louis Zamperini's incredible life journey is extremely heart-wrenching and uplifting. An important theme of the book is the power of forgiveness. Throughout his journey, Louis gained just feelings of anger and resentment towards his captors. However, in the end, he found it within himself to forgive them, realizing that holding onto those negative emotions was only hurting himself. After being abused and tortured this was a massive challenge for Louis, but he eventually forgave them. This message is particularly relevant in today's world, where so many people are quick to judge and condemn others without taking the time to understand their perspectives. Even though what the Japanese were doing to Louis was wrong, he had to take in their perspective. Also, this book is a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and the damages it causes. The book's vivid descriptions of Louis's experiences as a prisoner of war in Japan are an eye opening reminder of the inhumanity that can occur in times of war. However, the book also shows us that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for a better future. Louis was able to use this hope to get himself through all of the challenges that he faced. This is absolutely a must read because of all of the lessons the book teaches. It is a reminder to have forgiveness in our hearts, and to find hope even in the darkest of places. Louis Zamperini's story is one that will stay with you forever, and it will inspire you to be a better person and to never give up, no matter what life throws at you.

Reviewer: rdgteacher
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful
Review: Such a wonderful Story for my 10 year old son to read with his dad. We’ve been learning about wwii in our homeschool and this story was a beautiful compliment to the complexities of POW and the strength and resilience of the silent generation. It was well adapted to a younger audience without removing the drama and accuracy of war. Well done.

Reviewer: Bethany
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My kids enjoyed reading this book
Review: It was a required reading for my kiddos. T hey enjoyed reading this book.

Reviewer: Heather
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My Son Can't Put It Down
Review: I bought this for my teen son. It arrived in less than 24 hrs in excellent condition. He was so excited to start reading it after reading the description. I gave it to him this evening and he has not put it down.

Reviewer: Mimi Devereaux
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This will do the trick! Yay!
Review: My ten-year-old reads well above grade level, but is still reluctant. Like many boys, he just doesn't want to sit still long enough to get through a story! He likes adventure stories, so I thought he would enjoy listening to the audio version of "Unbroken," while following along in the book. No dice. I lost him at the word "dirigible."So I was delighted to learn that a young adult version was on the horizon, and I immediately pre-ordered both the Kindle and audio versions. I am pleased to report that I think this will do the trick.Of course, the first thing I did upon receiving the new version, was to turn to Chapter One to see if the word "dirigible" had been changed! It is now "airship." Then I went back to the beginning and did a side-by-side comparison of both. The changes were immediately apparent:On the first page, the previous version read: Somewhere on the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Army Air Forces bombardier and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward.The new version read: Somewhere on the Pacific Ocean, American military airman and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay on a small raft, drifting.In a nutshell, Hillenbrand deleted "the endless expanse of," and simplified Zamperini's title from "Army Air Forces bombardier," to "American military airman."Looking randomly through the two books, I'm seeing other instances of abridgement, as well as simplified language. I have high hopes that my young reader will now enjoy this story. I'm excited at the prospect, as I think our children need to read more stories about people like Mr. Zamperini. He is easily the bravest, most remarkable person I've ever read about, and a fine example of what we hope our young people will choose to emulate.A final thought: I'm an avid reader, but I wish this version had been out when I read the original. While still long, it is shorter than the first book, and I wouldn't consider this one to be at all "dumbed down." It would not be inappropriate for an adult to read this version instead of the other.

Reviewer: Jim Morrell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Greatest Generation
Review: If one wants to understand the Greatest Generation, what they accomplished, and what they endured, this book provides insight as to why they became known as the Greatest Generation. Here is an example of complete, unrelenting dedication to his country, ready to make any sacrifice to save his country, and almost paid the ultimate price in doing so. This book is a revelation when it comes to showing what a prisoner of war experienced and the horrific treatment by the captors. It is also a revelation about resilience, forgiveness, and restoration of a life. Louie Zamperini is an inspiration, and he made this book well worth reading.

Reviewer: Rhianon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I bought this book for my 12 year old son and he has been really enjoying it

Reviewer: Lil dud
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: My son read this for a non fiction book report for jr high. I had read the original book and also read this book. It was a quick read and some of the details of the original were skipped over to make it appropriate for young adult readers. My son enjoyed the book.

Reviewer: SSC
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Do you want to know how Louie Zamperini, an Olympian, survived in a Japanese P.O.W camp? If that sounds interesting to you, then I recommend you read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.Although I encourage you to read the book, if you are not comfortable with violence, I wouldn’t suggest it.This fascinating story shows the perspective of a poor family. In the book Louie steals to get food for himself. In addition to stealing, the Zamperinis ran out of money at the end of each week and were forced to improvise food.If you like studying WWII, then you will like this book. One point to support this is that a lot of the story is about Louie, the main character, being in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Another example is it shows the treatment of P.O.W.s during the war.This book also has a lot of show don’t tell writing which means the author describes what characters are feeling or what is happening instead of just saying it. One example of this is, “Louie was standing in dust, sweating,” which explains it was hot. Another example is, “There was a pulse of light,” which means there was an explosion.To sum it all up, I recommend this book because it shows the perspective of a poor family, WWII history and a lot of show don’t tell. The best part is it’s a true story!

Reviewer: Naomi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: My almost 13 year old son loved this book from cover to cover and read it during lockdown over the past few weeks. As a relucant reader of late, it was a relief to find a book that captured his imagination! He now wants me to buy books of a similar genre. Highly recommend this youth adaptation for 12 plus age group.

Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The book was like new,very good.