The Convicts by Iain Lawrence

 

The Convicts by Iain Lawrence

Published by Delacorte Books on April 12, 2005

208 pages

This is an easy and fast read about a 14-year old boy called Tom Tin in the late 1800s London.  After Tom's father was hauled off to debtor's prison, he finds himself being accused of a crime that he didn't commit.  He was sentenced to serve seven years onboard a run down ship where other boys his age is also living.  He spends his time dreaming of escape and trying to survive day after day. 

I found this book boring.  Even though it was a short read, it took me a few weeks to finish it because I just couldn't get into it.  I would pick it up and read a chapter here or there just to get to the end.  There was so much packed into these 200 pages that it made it all seem unbelievable and I kept rolling my eyes with each new element was added.    

My favorite character was Midgely, one of the convicts on the ship.  However, I was not happy with what happened to him and how his story was written.  Without him, Tom's story wouldn't have went the way it did so I wanted to see Midgely have a happy ending.

I wouldn't recommend this for children to read as it has some touchy subjects but if you find this story for a good deal like I did ($2) then it's worth a read to pass the time.

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

 

Every year, my wonderful states holds a HUGE book fair and I'm able to fill my little cart with milk crate up with some amazing books for $1-$2 each!  It's every book lovers dream day and is marked on my calendar months in advance.  I may also be one of those people that are the first in line to get in.  This year I walked away with close to 30 books.  My cart filled up fast before I even left the young adult section so I need to rethink my game plan for next year.

I just finished my first book from the fair, Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis.  It was published on January 1, 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books.  It's a fast read with only 320 pages and has four 1/2 star rating on Amazon.  

The cover was what first caught my eye and had me picking up the book to find out the story that awaits inside.  I'm a fan of survival stories so once I found out that this story was concerning that type of world, I was sold on getting it.  

The story is based on the sixteen year old character Lynn.  She lives out in the middle of nowhere Ohio with her mother and every day they have to fight off different types of threats from taking their pond after the world has a water shortage.  The only other person Lynn has spoke to, besides her mother, is their neighbor Stebbs until an old threat takes them by surprise and everything changes. 

New characters are introduced, good and bad.  New friendships are formed as Lynn starts to change from heartless and cold to more understanding and warm toward others.  

I liked Stebbs most out of all the characters.  He was old, wise and broke the book up into funny moments.  He also holds a tale that will have Lynn understand a lot more about her mother and father.  

Eli plays Lynn's love interest and someone she has to teach survival skills to in order for him to take care of his family.  As this is a young adult book, there is a little romance but the book focus is more on telling an amazing story that keeps you turning the pages till the end.

Lucy is Eli's little niece and seems to be the one that melts everyone's heart.  Being as young as she is, she reminds them of better times before innocence was lost. 

I was a little surprised at the ending and wished the book at turned out in a different way but it was a well written story and worth the read.     

There is a companion novel, In a Handful of Dust, that I may read in the near future to see what else may happen to this group.