Exodus
by Julie Bertagna

    EXODUS by Julie Bertagna
    Category:  Science Fiction
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  4/1/08
    Publisher:  Walker Books
    Reviewed by:  JodiG.
    Rating:  5 Stars


    What if everything you’ve heard about global warming is true -- and we haven’t done enough to change the course
    of events?

    Mara is a fifteen-year-old girl who lives on the island of Wing. The polar ice caps are melting, flooding most of the
    earth. What is left of Mara’s primitive island is rapidly being claimed by the rising tide. Among the ruins of an
    abandoned cyberworld Mara meets another, someone who promises her that there is a safe haven in the New
    World.

    Mara convinces the people of her island that their only chance for survival is to sail north, where the sky cities can
    provide shelter against the rising storms and tides. However, they arrive to find that walls have been built around
    the city and that they are just a few of the refugees who are gathered around, hoping for entry. Life in the boat
    camp is a grim existence. Illness, hunger and death have penetrated the lives of Mara’s group. Overwhelmed with
    guilt, Mara sets out to find a way to save her friends.

    With a little help, Mara makes her way inside the gates and sets about to infiltrate the New World city of New
    Mungo. How can one girl face such insurmountable odds and save her people against a formidable adversary? Can
    she really take on an entire city to save her friends? If only she could find her cyberworld acquaintance, maybe he
    could help Mara.

    EXODUS is a sobering reminder of the future we face if global warming is allowed to continue unchallenged. Julie
    Bertagna has presented a somber picture of what life may be like in the year 2099. She has balanced desperation
    with the enduring power of hope. When humans have hope, no challenge seems too difficult to face. The stark
    subject of the story is balanced with a fluid writing style that keeps you turning the pages and hoping for the best.
    EXODUS is already an international best seller and is being released to US readers in April 2008.

    This is one of those stories that will stay with you forever.