Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, August 21, 2016

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

How I Heard About It:  This was one of those novels that I knew about via the popular culture of readers.  I even saw some of our sixth graders reading it this past year.  I was looking for a young-adult novel to listen to in the car and knew this book had a lot of positive praise, so decided to give it a shot.  

What It Is About:  Before the 5th wave, there was the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wave.  Each of these "waves" brought mass destruction to Earth.  Cassie is 16 years old and has lost family members in each of these waves.  Now she is on her own while "aliens" hiding in human form continue to take over the world. She is on a quest to find her younger brother who she hopes is still out there.  While she is on her journey, Cassie encounters a fellow student who she attended school with.  She also comes across Evan Walker, who she must try to decide if he is there to help her or harm her.  This new world is full of unknowns and Cassie must move forward with great care and make important decisions on who to trust and who she shouldn't.  

What I Thought Of It:  I am coming to the conclusion that fantasy and/or post-world stories, may not be my "cup of tea" as they say.  Overall, I did enjoy this story and it was a long one.  As I listened, I did find my mind wandering and a bit lost in the plot development.  As soon as I thought I might not finish, the story/action would grab and bring me back into the story.  Cassie was a terrific character to follow through quite an adventure.  I was never sure what was going to happen or if she would be ok.  I'm glad that I experienced this novel, but not sure I will follow up with the other books in the series.  

Who Should Read It:  This is the perfect novel for fans of fantasy and post apoplectic stories.  It is extremely well written and Yancey tells an incredible story.  The young-adult audience will "eat" this story up.  Since I saw sixth graders in my building reading it, I would think middle-school and/or high-school readers would be awesome targets for the story.  Adult readers who enjoy "stories/genres" of this nature, would also be satisfied with this first story in the trilogy.  Happy Reading!

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars




No comments:

Post a Comment