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Ship Breaker

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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Book Brief

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Paolo Bacigalupi

Ship Breaker

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010
Book Details
Pages

324

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

Gulf Coast • Future Dystopia

Publication Year

2010

Audience

YA

Recommended Reading Age

12-18 years

Lexile Level

HL690L

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Super Short Summary

In Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, 15-year-old Nailer scavenges on postapocalyptic Gulf Coast beaches for salvageable materials from shipwrecks. Dreaming of a better life, he stumbles upon a beached luxury clipper ship after a hurricane, encountering a wealthy survivor named Nita. Together with his friend Pima, Nailer faces threats from his abusive, addicted father and others while seeking a way to help Nita and find a brighter future. This book contains references to violence, addiction, and abuse.

Gritty

Dark

Suspenseful

Challenging

Emotional

Reviews & Readership

4.0

46,111 ratings

65%

Loved it

26%

Mixed feelings

10%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker is lauded for its captivating world-building and compelling characters, providing a thrilling and thought-provoking exploration of a dystopian future. Reviewers highlight its strong environmental themes and fast-paced narrative. Some criticism focuses on its occasionally predictable plot and underdeveloped subplots, but overall, it’s praised as a gripping YA novel.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Ship Breaker?

Readers who enjoy Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi are typically young adults and fans of dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction. They would also likely appreciate fast-paced adventure stories with strong, resilient characters, similar to those in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies.

4.0

46,111 ratings

65%

Loved it

26%

Mixed feelings

10%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

324

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

Gulf Coast • Future Dystopia

Publication Year

2010

Audience

YA

Recommended Reading Age

12-18 years

Lexile Level

HL690L

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