I enjoy dystopian fiction, it's so intriguing to read different authors takes on the future. This one does remind me other books (Giver, comes to mind...) but I don't mind as I liked the characters and premise. I think 5th grade up should enjoy this tale.

This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel geared toward middle-grade readers, dealing with topics of censorship, language choice, and standing up for what's right. This adult reader found it predictable and at times a bit choppy, though that could be the List influencing the story! I think I would have enjoyed it as a child as I was fascinated by words and why not everyone was as eager to stretch and build their vocabulary as I was.

Reviewed in Shoreline of Infinity issue 8 and posted online here: https://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/list-patricia-forde/

This book had such a unique concept and it was quite interesting. It had been awhile since I'd read a dystopian YA novel and this one fit the bill, particularly on audio.

Patricia Forde's The List is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world.. Nearly annihilated by devastating global flooding, some are convinced that humanity is being punished. for environmental recklessness, Leaders have adopted strict control. Every facet of life is under scrutiny - but, perhaps most rigorously - communication of ideas are strictly controlled. To implement this, the only words allowed are from a pre-approved vocabulary list. of 500 words (and dwindling). The Wordsmith collects words and maintains the list - responding to additional limitations as they arise. When Letta (an apprentice) unexpectedly becomes Wordsmith upon the death of her mentor, she begins to suspect that things are not as they should be...and, at great peril, to seek answers.

This book has great ideas that never really seemed to pay off. The writing got berry clunky in the middle and I didn't end up finishing the novel just because I didn't care enough. We are supposed to believe that this is a scary and strict world but it never felt that way.

Patricia Forde's The List is a dystopian YA that evokes Lois Lowry's classic, <em>The Giver</em>.

Set in the future, the polar ice caps have melted, flooding the earth. At least one scientist had the foresight to create a city that would escape the devastating flood, and he called the city Ark (are you surprised his name was Noa?). The new city would be run in a very totalitarian manner with new rules. One rule is a rule of language. Because words can be harmful or deceitful, only approved words - those on The List - may be used in everyday language. But a few chosen people over the years are appointed as Wordsmiths - those who keep and archive as many words as can be found, even those not on the approved list.

Letta is an apprentice to one such Wordsmith, but when he dies suddenly in an accident, she becomes the Wordsmith for Ark.

But Letta has made friends with Marlo, a Desecrator - someone living outside the rule of the Ark, using the old language. And she'll need the help of her outside friends when she discovers a plot to strip even more language away from the people to completely control their power (or lack of power) of speech.

The adult reader may find that author Forde figuratively hits the reader over the head with metaphors and allusions, but the target YA audience is likely to discover much of this imagery here for the first time.

There are some frightful comparisons to our modern, political world, with the assault on language and the use of language as a battering ram to completely shut down opposing points of view.

The opening sequence, as we meet Letta and learn (by observing) about this world, and the discovery of Marlo, being shot and searched for by 'Gavvers', was really tremendous. It draws the reader in and the short, abbreviated dialog definitely captures our attention. But the danger set-up in this opening is over-come too easily, in the long-run, and the tight, fascinating story loses some focus and energy. This seems a bit odd since the characters in the book had a more concentrated (focused) goal in the second half of the book. But once the characters and the goals were established, we lost more interest in this world.

There is nothing particularly new here. As I said in the beginning, this borrows heavily from<em> The Giver</em>, as well as other time-worn classics (<em>1984</em> anyone?). But of course our kids don't read the classics much anymore, so for them, this book is fascinatingly fresh. For the rest of us, it's read-worthy, but maybe check it out from your local library.

Looking for a good book? <em>The List</em> by Patricia Forde is a dystopian YA book that treads heavily on the heels of other classic dystopian novels, such as <em>The Giver</em>, and <em>1984</em>. It's worth a read, but don't expect anything too new.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The people of Ark have survived the melting of the polar ice caps and subsequent flooding of the world, only to now be threatened by their settlement's leader who wants to eradicate language from the human race. Can Wordsmith Letta, and a band of "Desecrators" stop him in time?!

This post-apocalyptic thriller is The Giver, meets 1984, meets Fahrenheit 451! Exquisite middle grade read that encourages real world discussions on numerous themes and topics from activism to censorship to moral dilemma!

I don't usually read middle school books but this one caught my eye. The story is straight forward which is great for kids around middle school age but the writing and how the author presents ideas is nothing short of amazing. After I read it, I made a point of keeping an eye out for it for my son to read. Needless to say, he enjoyed it even more than I did. Sometimes I find that books aimed at elementary school aged children can be a bit preachy or too simply written but this one is involved enough and written with enough sensitivity that I think it would appeal to many kids.

Politics has me so STRESSED lately, that I'm pretty much put off of any book with a strong political message for the foreseeable future - I read to escape the world, not get more stressed about it. I know people really love this book - but I don't have a good headspace for it.

I was really looking forward to reading The List, as I adore dystopian novels. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me. The premise was very interesting, but it never took off in its own direction. It felt forced and lacked cohesion.

It is a really wonderful read. Everything about the book overall is really wonderful. i don't really have much words to describe the book. The plot is really cute and beautiful. I found myself rereading it after a few months reading it already because it just keeps on calling at me to reading it again and again because it's so cute of how the character is developed and the concept of the story and surroundings are just way too cute. Even the cover page is adorable. My favorite color is blue so it obviously attracts me into reading it.

I found that our library already had a copy of this book in it, but I DNFd it after a few chapters. It wasn't for me, but I do think some of my MS students will pick it up.

This dystopian had such a unique concept—what would the world be like if we were allowed to say less. Significantly less—What if there were only a short list of words that we were allowed to say? Letta lives in that sort of society, and she is tasked with keeping track of the words, both the words that people are allowed to say and the forbidden words that must be hidden. She believes in her society’s tenets, but she starts to realize that the leader has sinister plans and that perhaps the society she has always lived in and loved isn’t actually what’s best for people.

I really enjoyed and appreciated the concept, but for some reason I never completely connected to Letta or her journey. I also had a really hard time understanding how this society came to be and why the leaders made the choices they made and why others went along with it (it is eventually explained, and I could understand it more then, but I had already built up such a level of doubt by that time that I had difficulty accepting it—at least that’s the best reasoning I could come up with for the fact that I never completely bought it).

This was a really interesting exploration of language and what the ability to express ourselves means to society. It was a unique and thoughtful read, but I never completely found myself engaged in the story. I gave it 3/5 stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

In a future dystopic society, wordsmith Letta discovers that John Noa, head of the Ark, plans to eliminate all words from use. As she discovers more about his evil plot, she begins to question why anyone would want to remove words from their society.

When I stumbled across this book on Netgalley, I was originally drawn in by the cover! When I saw that it is compared to the likes of Fahrenheit 451 and The Giver -being a huge fan of both of these books, I knew right away I just had to read this book! I am so glad I got approved to read an advanced copy of this! I just adored the story!

The List is a middle grade dystopian novel that deals with censorship. This is the type of book I can see being read in middle school classrooms. It deals with important topics such as censorship and standing up for what is right, both topics that I feel should be discussed at this age. While I can’t say this book was completely unique, as it was very reminiscent of other dystopians I have read, it was still a fun and entertaining read that I know I would have really enjoyed reading in school.

This was a book about working together and standing up for what is right, even if it goes against everything that was taught. I thought this book was a fun read and would recommend it to children of middle school age and fans of The Giver and other dystopians alike.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Patricia Forde for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review

The world as we know it is gone, and we're introduced to the citizen of the city, Ark. In an effort to ensure survival, the words each person in Ark can use is limited and applicable to the roles they play. I've already told you what takes about five chapters to figure out. The main character, Letta, a wordsmith, has always been content to do her job, until she learns too much to ever be the same. A fantasy thriller that will keep you guessing!

A fascinating, beautiful and inventive book that presents a powerful story through an amazing new world. I really loved this and felt totally engrossed by it.

Very different than what I expected - in a good way! I didn’t think I would be reading a dark dystopian with an element of charm. Very cleverly written and well-told story. It made me think which is always a nice extra in a middle grade book.