In Ark, where only 500 words exist, Letta is an apprentice to the wordsmith. All other words are illegal and forgotten, and the residents speak in garbled sentences. The police strictly monitor this bubbled, alleged Utopia, and all aspects of life, including meals, are regulated. Letta loves her words and buys into this society until she meets Marlo, a resister who lives self-sufficiently in the outskirts of town—a place where music, art, and language still exist. As Letta’s master suspiciously goes missing, Letta begins to realize that this world is not as safe and happy as it seems, and she is the only member who has the ability to save the words from an evil dictator with misguided politics, John Noa. Noa is relentless in his convictions and actions, and the future of the world relies on the thwarted flick of a canister and a heartfelt revolution.

A middle grade dystopian scifi thriller, The List, has unexpected twists and turns and speaks to today’s modern issues of global warming, the power of language, and possibly brilliant and powerful but destructive authoritarian leaders. Well written with a unique take on tween dystopian literature, The List will appeal to strong readers through its themes of love, language, family, history, and power. Letta is a strong, feminist character with equally dynamic male and female antagonists. My only qualm is that the middle of the story loses its momentum; there is an excess of drawn-out, unnecessary details. With tighter, more succinct writing, I look forward to seeing what else Forde has to offer as an author.

I would like to thank NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The List by Patricia Forde (SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky, 2017)

The book description calls Patricia Forde's The List "Fahrenheit 451 meets The Giver for middle grade readers!" That seems pretty apt. The List is cut from the same cloth as the recent trend of teen-oriented post-apocalyptic and dystopia fiction. While this whole genre of YA novels would point to classics like Fahrenheit 451 and The Giver as sources of inspiration, none of them measure up, including The List.


Letta, Forde's young, female heroine (most of these have young, female heroines, of course) is the assistant to the Wordsmith of Ark. Ark was founded by an environmentalist named Noa (haha) who became frustrated when no one heeded his warnings about the rising sea level. He established Ark, the ice caps melted, and his new city was high and dry, seemingly the last remnant of human civilization.


Noa, the authoritarian leader of the tightly controlled community of Ark, believes that language was the root of all of humanity's problems. "Our aim is to curtail the use of language," he tells Letta, who becomes the Wordsmith after her mentor disappears. "As you know, throwing words around is quite irresponsible, considering our history." His public agenda is to limit language to The List, a list of a few hundred words. His private agenda, which Letta eventually catches wind of, is much more insidious.


The List isn't bad. It checks all the boxes for the genre. Noa is a caricature of the evil dictator with a charming side. The central planning and the enforcers of societal structure are stock as well. The List is not wholly cookie-cutter, but it was not original or well-written enough for me to love it.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Original and thought provoking tale of a girl thrust into a world filled with rules said to be for the greater good. But are they? This wonderful story can spark discussion about freedom and censorship. Highly recommended.

This book was originally published in Ireland in 2014, but is now just being published here in the states, and I am really glad that Sourcebooks has picked it up. It is a really strong dystopian, post apocalypse novel for teens and older tweens. I think there are even some young adults that will enjoy it although the cover might keep them from picking it up. I love the cover, but it screams middle grade not YA which is a shame as I think almost any age level would enjoy this book. I’m not promoting it on my Tween Tuesday post however because I think it reads a little older than 11-12, more like 14 and up. I am sure there will be younger kids who like it but I didn’t want to put it out there as just a tween book.

The plot is what really drives this story. It takes place after man has basically ruined the earth with global warming and pollution. There are some references to the water rising and rain water not being safe to drink. John Noa was someone who tried to warn people but when his words fell on deaf ears, he created the Ark, a settlement that was remote enough it survived the cataclysms that destroyed the rest of the world. He continues to rule it with an iron fist, where the slightest infraction will get you banished. Including speaking words that are not on the List. This is a list of approved words that Letta and the wordsmith Benjamin keep track of and is taught to the kids in school. There are some words that are exceptions for certain trades, but otherwise most words that are descriptive are eliminated. For example, they only have the word insect, not the 100’s of words that we currently have for every insect on earth. Not so bad maybe, but if you think about it, you will see how far John Noa might go to control everyone’s speech and thought.

Letta is a strong character, but I had trouble figuring out how old she is. I don’t think we are ever told, but she reads more like a 16 or 17 year old rather than the 14 year old I thin she is meant to be. But that just might be me. She goes on quite a journey, while never leaving her quite little village of Ark. She learns so much in such a short period of time, about what is really going on and about her family, that I was amazed that she didn’t just curl up into a tiny ball and cry. But she is strong and perseveres to do what she thinks is right when she discovers how Noa plans to take away everyone’s speech.

Finn and Marlo are two people who live outside of Ark with a band of survivors and call themselves Creators. Most of these people survived the destruction of the world, but were not part of the original believers so are not allowed to live in Ark. Although they appear to be able to come and go with out detection. They see John Noa for who he is and are working to over throw him and make Ark a better place. They help Letta discover the truth about what Noa is doing and help her prevent it. I liked both of these characters. Marlo is a little bit of a romantic interest, which I didn’t think was needed in the story and is what makes me hesitate to call it a tween book. It just seemed to be more than the usual tween crush and or romance, but again that might just be me.

A great read about what the world might look like a few years after the initial catastrophe. Also a great cautionary tale about the power of words and censorship. I highly recommend it and although I can’t find anywhere that says it is a series, I am certainly looking forward to more books about Letta and this interesting world the author has created.

Patricia Forde imagines world where language is limited to The List

THE LIST, by Patricia Forde, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, August 1, 2017, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 10-14)

Imagine a world where when you speak, you only have a few hundred words to choose from. Welcome to Ark where everyone must speak List, a language made up of only 500 words.

People used to have thousands of words, but then the Melting came. Noa was one of the few who foretold of the destructive force, and he was prepared when the Melting came. After the Melting, Noa and his followers return to a more simplified lifestyle. Technology is all but abandoned. Believing that the arts and language were among the vices that led to the current situating, Noa eliminated music, dance and art from society, and he limits the amount of words, making them utilitarian in use only.

As apprentice to the Wordsmith, 12-year-old Letta is one of the lucky few who is able to speak more than List. Her master is in charge of collecting and cataloging words for a time when they might be used again — at least that’s what Noa said initially.

After her master disappears, Noa makes Letta the new Wordsmith and suggests she cut even more words from the list. Then she meets a stranger who speaks as if List was never invented. Soon, Letta is questioning everything she’s ever known to be true, and she’s faced with a choice — allow language to disappear completely or embrace it as her ancestors once did.

If you are a reader — which you probably are — or a writer — most likely — The List will hit a nerve. The thought of not having words to express myself gives me a crawling, nails-on-the-chalkboard feeling that I can’t get rid of. As a copy editor, reporter, writer and reviewer, I’ve spent most of my adult life surrounded by words. Losing language would be like cutting off an extremity.

Patricia Forde has crafted a world that is terrifyingly realistic. There’s nothing here that screams, “this is just imaginary,” and that is why The List works so well. Forde’s world and character building are spot-on. Letta is complex and likeable. She faces hard decisions and doesn’t come by them easily. There were a few places where the pacing felt a little off, but otherwise, The List is a well-crafted dystopian novel that should appeal to middle-graders, young adults and adults alike.

This is a hard book to write a review for, but I'm giving it 4 stars because I think I would have enjoyed it as a child. I did enjoy it as an adult, but I skimmed a few parts where it was a bit overly descriptive for my tastes. It was well edited, so that's a big (big) plus in my book. I was really drawn to the cover of this one. Kudos to the artist who made it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading The List. I’m a huge fan of dystopian books and the description sounded intriguing, but I was still not sure what to think. Well, I can now safely say that this book was so good! I might not have had many expectations going in, but even if I had, I’m guessing The List would have exceeded them.

Let’s talk about the plot first. I don’t want to go into too much detail and ruin anything for people, but this was such a unique story. As someone who’s read quite a few dystopian books, I honestly don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it. There were aspects of many different classic stories and the plot was a little predictable, but somehow it still felt like a new story. And as a lover of words, I found it to be especially powerful. This book may be short, but it certainly packs a punch.

And of course there’s the characters. I adored Letta. She has plenty of spirit, but she’s also struggling with her own beliefs and fears. I loved her development over the course of the story. It’s unfortunate that this was so short because I would have loved to see even more of her. I’m thinking there’s a sequel to this and I really hope that’s the case.

If you like dystopian books, I would highly recommend reading The List. I had a few difficulties getting into the story, mostly because of the dialogue in regards to some characters (if you read it, I think you’ll know exactly what I mean). But overall, I enjoyed this so much. It’s beautifully written and the story itself is a lot of fun. I don’t think you’ll regret checking this one out!

Patricia Forde's unique dystopian novel, THE LIST, will appeal to readers and teachers alike. In this future world, language is used literally as a weapon, rather, the absence of language becomes the weapon that those in power of Ark will use to keep the people in bondage. Letta, the spunky main character, is a wordsmith—those familiar with Lowry's THE GIVER will acknowledge the similarity between her and Jonas— and the avid and astute apprentice of Benjamin, the reigning wordsmith. With a cryptic prologue, the mystery of Ark is set in motion. Evil is at play, and Letta, as a loyal devotee of language and her responsibility, must ferret out the truth at great risk to herself and the entire community. "'See how we express love for one another? No, Letta. The time for words is gone. We cannot control men's bodies, but their minds teem with words, and the words are rotten to the core...They need to be cauterized, cleansed, eradicated. How do you like those words, Letta?'"

Conflict drives the action of this novel as it must to hold readers of the middle grades, though certainly this novel is perfect for the 6-8 grades as well. The anguish of sacrifice and authenticity of Letta's quest will capture students, regardless of gender. The novel will also allow compelling book talks and greater discussions about the "pen is mightier than the sword," as well as other themes.

Additionally, this novel affords great read-aloud potential. Any teacher who wants to present allusion to a class (Noa is the name of the antagonist and leader of Ark) could use this novel with great success.

I feel like this was a very pretty and well written book, but it really lacked originality. For that reason, it's pretty forgetful and I wouldn't recommend.

As a lover of both YA and dystopian novels, I was very excited to read The List. I’m always interested to see how different authors portray their view of the world after a major disaster. I think we as a society have an obsession with end of the world scenarios, and I am particularly interested in the aftermath of those events, rather than what leads up to them. In The List, Patricia Forde explores a society trying to rebuild in the aftermath of a colossal natural disaster. This book is a great addition to the growing narrative of dystopian YA/middle grade novels.

Letta lives in Ark, a city that has been re-built after a natural disaster wiped out much of society many years ago. Some of the older citizens remember the way the world used to be, but many of them have been born and raised in Ark. To ensure the survival of humans, Ark citizens are only allowed to speak List, a language consisting of 500 approved words. Except for the Wordsmith, Benjamin, who is entrusted with the task of documenting and saving words beyond the list, and Letta, who is his apprentice. When Benjamin disappears and Letta becomes the Wordsmith, she starts to discover things about Ark and its leader that make her wonder if this society is actually the utopia it is meant to be. She must decide which is more dangerous: language or the lack of it.

I loved this book! The description immediately brought to mind The Giver, and I’ve since seen it compared to that book several times. The premise is the same: a homogenous culture with a select person who knows the truth. As in any dystopian novel, the government wields extreme power to control and establish a new world. The List uses words and language as that power. It very much reminded me of parenting. We teach our children certain words and try to keep them from others. It is a form of ultimate control. Along the way, outside influences introduce those words whether we like it or not. There are always rebels out there. I will say that the device used at the end of the novel to exert total control is a little convenient, but it didn’t detract from the overall story.

“The here and now is only the smallest part of who we are. Each of us is all that we have been, all our stories, all that we could be.”

Words are so basic that it is easy for us to take them for granted. We teach our kids to describe feelings, emotions, surroundings. We give names to the most subtle of emotions. What would it be like if we were forbidden from using those words? Would it dull the senses, or sharpen frustration? Forde shows us what might happen if language became a contaminant, rather than something to be celebrated. This novel is so relevant today, and I think it’s a great way to introduce some important ideas to kids, in an incredibly entertaining way!

Ark is a gated post-apocalyptic community that only survives because of the extreme planning and strict rationing of John Noah, Ark's founding leader. With food, water, and even words strictly limited to only what is essential, life is not always easy. Sentences like "We ready now." and "I no wait." are considered speaking in List and take some getting used to. Reading List sometimes requires more than one glance.

Letta lives in Ark and is the apprentice to the Wordsmith, a highly respected job. Almost immediately, her master Benjamin, the Wordsmith, heads out on a journey for a few days to hunt for new words to be preserved. This is considered a typical task of the Wordsmith. Letta is left behind to run the shop, where she transcribes boxes of List words for the Ark teacher, and creates special request List words for various trades.

Shortly after Benjamin leaves, an injured boy enters the shop, requesting a box of List words. Though she does not recognize him, Letta is intrigued by Marlo, and without thinking she quickly hides him before the gavvers (police or military equivalent) arrive. As she attempts to nurse Marlo back to health, Letta learns information about life outside of Ark, and she begins to question all she's ever known. Thus begins Letta's dissent from Ark.

THOUGHTS: As a former English teacher, my mind was racing with fun activities for using this book in the classroom: What words would be on your list? Could you figure out all of the words on Ark's list? Would you eliminate/add any words to Ark's list? The focus on the importance of words can lead to many great discussions, regardless of age. Though this book is marketed as middle grade, I could absolutely see using it in a high school classroom.

Both sides of my reader brain were satisfied by "The List," by Patricia Forde. I got interesting characters with depth and nuance who develop with the brisk plot, and I had ample opportunities to pause and reflect on how the novel's themes are prevalent in our world today. That isn't a combo that i'm afforded often, and it's one that I relish when I encounter it. To that end, I was reminded (in the best ways) of Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake" at a number of moments during the read. Forde's post-global disaster landscape, young, likeable characters are faced with tough decisions and impossible odds, and I was hooked through it all. "The List" is a great read, and one that will resonate with all lovers, sharers, and creators of language!

“Ark need less words,” he said. “Words no good. Words bring trouble.”

I am struggling to decide on a rating for this book. There are some things it does very well, and other things that leave a reader wanting. Overall, I guess I would give this book 3/5 stars.
On the plus side, the premise for this book is exceedingly intriguing! What is the significance of language? What if people only had 700 words to use? 500? 100? None? Is language itself inherently evil? Is it only the use of language that separates humans and our way of life from that of the animals? I was SO excited when I read the blurb for this book and found out these were some of the questions this book wrestled with! What interesting questions to pose to a group of students and then discuss, with the book as our shared reference point. Sadly, the book didn’t really deal with these questions. Yes, on a surface level it did, and the author told us her answer to some of these questions. But the book didn’t explore these ideas. It didn’t really show us how living with a List of only 700 or 500 words impacted people. Everyone in the town of Ark seemed to be getting along just fine with their List of 500 words. People were naïve, happy, and peacefully living their lives. Based on what I saw, if there was no evil village leader, Noa, in the picture, humanity would get along just fine with 500 words. Sure, the Creators (the artists, musicians, dancers, etc.) weren’t happy, but this seemed to be more about Noa’s ban on the arts than the restriction of language. I think the fact that the protagonist, Letta, somehow knew all of the non-List words and spoke clearly and eloquently also somehow lessened the sense of a negative impact from language restriction. When talking with community members, she spoke the limited “language” of List, but when talking with her master (the Wordsmith Benjamin), Noa, the “Desecrators” (the Creators and others who opposed Noa), and others, she spoke “regular” English. So, we didn’t really get a full taste of the limitation in thought, expression, etc. that comes from living with only 500 words to use.
The setting of this book was, in some ways unique. Sure, this was a normal YA dystopian story in which the world as we currently know it is gone. People are living a day-to-day subsistence lifestyle - growing all of their own food, making their own clothes and supplies, and using virtually no technology. There is a select group of chosen people living in the “city,” with other less fortunate souls stuck living in the wilds just beyond (reminiscent of Ann Aguirre’s “Outpost” or Carrie Ryan’s “Forrest of Hands and Teeth”). But, how the world got this way is different from any other book I’ve read, and felt very real and very possible. Simply, there was a flood. Why? People ignored global warming. They listened to the politicians and others who said global warming was a hoax and there was nothing to worry about. When the polar ice caps melted… still no reason to worry. But then there was water everywhere! Waves upon waves upon waves of water. The world was drowned. All except the few who followed Noa and were saved, and the unfortunate few who survived by dumb luck. So, on the down side, a pretty stereotypically YA dystopian world. On the plus side, how it came to be is entirely new and different.
The characters of the book? Meh. Stereotypical. Noa, the founder/leader of Ark, was corrupted by his power. Gavvers (Noa’s “enforcers”) were corrupted by their power. Letta was a young girl with no parents who had a completely regular childhood but suddenly found herself revolting against all she knew and believed because a boy showed up in her shop. And then the boy… Marlo. A stereotypical male “sidekick” who has exceptional strength, knowledge, and intelligence, who fell for the pretty protagonist and risked his life to help her lead a revolution. Really nothing special here. No real reason to feel any strong emotions for any of the characters; no strong connections to anyone.
The plot was okay. It was pretty fast-paced with conflicts beginning in the early chapters and continuing right until the end. There were a couple unexpected twists and turns (including Benjamin’s imprisonment and the heartless murder of Layla and her unborn child). While this book is for middle grades, and Letta is only in her mid-teens, this events in this book are “mature” enough to hold the interest of many high school students.
There are two things about this book that really bothered me and kind of “ruined” it for me. One is the fact that we never find out what exactly are the 500 words the people of Ark are allowed to use. We know there aren’t abstracts, like dream and hope and color variations. We know there aren’t words like “please” and “thank you.” But what IS on the list? And there are apparently profession-specific words. Are they part of the 500 or in addition to it? I think having a better sense of what words people did have would have made the feeling of what they had lost (in terms of language) more impactful. But, what really, really, really bothered me was the ending. {spoiler} Letta escapes from the melee at the water tower at the very end of Ch. 24. There is still much fighting going on, no one seemingly escapes with her, and the evil gavver, Carver, is still alive. Then, Ch. 25 is it – the end, and it’s maybe 2 pages long. We know Finn and Marlo survived, but we don’t know how, and we don’t really know the fates of any of the other characters. Amelia, who helped Letta and seemed opposed to what Ark had become, is the next leader and “had already proven herself a ruthless enemy.” What? Letta has the package from Benjamin filled with maps and notes about where her parents went, but she’s staying because “people needed her.” Which people? Her promise to Benjamin was to stop Noa. She did. Promise kept. She’s done. Who is she helping now? And why? This book raced toward and exciting finish and… Then. Just. Stopped. I reread the last chapter three times, thinking I was somehow missing something. The experience was like flying over the head of a thoroughbred racehorse that has come to an unexpected stop. Surprising and painful. And it kind of ruined the whole experience for me.

DNF--I was really bored, and it was just too hard to follow with The List language, or lack thereof. Also, POC are not "exotic."

The List by Patricia Forde was an extremely interesting book that did not only question how a society works but also who actually the enemy of a system is: the system who cages its people or those who are outside the system, trying to break it. This post-apocalyptic world is full of the unknown: old words, medical practices and almost every knowledge the people ever had is gone or only in the minds of the eldest of people, who are not allowed to talk about the time before the Earth was covered by the sea. Before The Melting, which flooded most of the population, humans were highly advanced but afterwards, there were barely any survivors. Those who did found themselves in Ark, the city Noa founded. They have water soon and shelter, but it is not nearly enough to feed everybody if there are too many babies. So everything is restricted and you get three food portions a day, shoes are passed on as are clothes. Just as the living conditions are sparse, the language is too. THE LiSt is the new language. All words which are not in the list are not supposed to be used. If you should be caught using them anyways, you might be banned from Ark. And without the city, the wild wolves in the forest beyond will tear you apart.

But there are rebels who want to bring music and art back to the people, and all the lost words with it. Can the wordsmith’s apprentice stay strong and loyal to her home and Noa, the savior of mankind?

The List was such an interesting and wonderful read, I really recommend it to everyone who wants to read something that is light and deep at the same time.

*I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley*
I love post apocalyptic fiction generally, and I loved the premise of this book -- The majority of civilization has been destroyed by humans, and only a small group of survivors remain. In order to control the population the only world that may be used are the 500 words on "The List".
I am a science teacher, so I really appreciated the allusions to climate change & how people responded to the crisis. I'm also a book lover, so it really got me thinking about how and why we use language. It's definitely a book I could recommend to my students.

I don't really know what to say about this book except that it bored me to sleep - I quite literally I found myself nodding off mid sentence or zoning out completely when reading it.

I liked the premise of the book, it sounded like it could have been quite whimsical but, no. This was pretty dark and brutal for a middle grade novel. I mean, there were scenes of torture, mention of suicide, and a pregnant woman was murdered for crying out loud. Not exactly child friendly.

There were many times throughout this book where I had to ask myself whether this was for middle graders or young adults. At first I saw Letta as a 12/13 year old but then there were times when she acted like a 16 year old and there was also mention of someone really wanting to 'mate' with her. It wasn't consistent and honestly confusing at times.

Disappointing and I'm not likely to read anything else by the author.

There are readers who know what they like and stick to one particular genre. There are others who read everything, bouncing around from topics and styles. I’m definitely someone who enjoys branching out and trying new authors and genres – sometimes it works and I discover fantastic books I otherwise wouldn’t have picked up (I absolutely loved Karl Schroeder’s Lockstep, a hard Sci-Fi space opera that relied heavily on math). Sometimes, like with The List, I’m left disappointed and confused.

When the world nearly came to an end during the Melting, a massive flood that swallowed entire cities, the Ark became a safe haven. Determined to recreate civilization as how he saw fit, John Noa laid down guidelines, strict rules. Two government-provided meals a day, each November there’s a festival and it’s during this festival that the cobbler decides who deserves a new pair of shoes. If the pair you own can be patched and deemed acceptable for another year, that’s it. New garments are only made once the wearer grows out of them (dresses, for example, need to come a few inches above the knee before they’re considered too small and a new one is ordered).

Noa’s biggest, most radical idea however, is the List, a set of 500 cards, each labeled with a sanctioned word. If a word isn’t on the List it’s not allowed to be spoken. The only exception is if someone is in a particular trade (a Smith or a Carpenter, for example). In that instance, they’ll granted a few extra words specific to their craft. Anyone caught speaking List is immediately banished.

As a Wordsmith apprentice, it’s Letta’s job to provide the citizens of Ark with their Lists as well as discover and archive old words, words no longer deemed appropriate. When her master dies, Letta becomes the next – and final – Wordsmith and it’s in her new role that she uncovers an evil plan to do away with language forever.

I really wanted to like this one – a civilization that survives on only 500 words, a plot to suppress language forever?? It sounded great! Unfortunately, I think this was a case of the idea simply getting away from the author and some logistics that didn’t make much sense. The summary mentions the Ark set in a post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world. In reality, this is only a generation or two after the Melting. MANY people who were around then are still alive, still secretly teaching their children old words. Noa ordered a list of approved names, yet it didn’t seem to matter since those who were alive during the Melting are allowed to keep their old names. Noa tries to enforce the List, but there are scores of people who still remember the old way of speaking and have been teaching the words to their children (at one point Letta remarked on how the schoolteacher was constantly reprimanding children for not speaking List).

There were minor details that would have felt more at home in a fantasy novel set centuries in the past or future rather than just a few decades from now. Six bells, twelve bells instead of six o’clock or twelve o’clock. The term stride instead of…inches? Feet? I couldn’t quite tell. Music, art, literature, they’ve all been banished (though of course the nefarious Desecrators have amassed quite a collection of artwork and instruments). I didn’t find this at all believable – The List is only a few (if that!) decades in the future, yet these people were okay with paring down their vocabulary to a few hundred words, getting rid of their books, their movies. Like I said, it would have been more suited to a different time period than a handful of years from the present day.

Another thing I struggled with was Letta’s age. I couldn’t figure out how old she was supposed to be. At one point she recalls a school friend who passed away when they were 12, so she’s obviously older than that. Then there was a character, Werber (lol that was seriously one of Noa’s approved names? okay), who has his heart set on Letta and says he wants to “mate with her” when she turns 18.

The List sounded like a fun, action-packed read, but I found myself more confused than intrigued. The apocalyptic ideas didn’t seem plausible to me and felt better suited to a story set centuries from the present day rather than just a handful of years. The entire time I was reading, I was struggling with the logistics (not to mention List-speak) and never became fully invested in the story or characters – and I’m honestly not quite sure just who the target audience is. It’s a Middle Grade novel that missed its mark.

The List was everything I thought it would be - suspenseful, exciting, with lots of twists and turns. I loved the character of the heroine - she had choices and each one she made sent her spiraling down another twist. I can't wait to reread this one!