Customer Reviews

The Girl Who Owned a City (Young Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I first read this book when I was in 5th grade (I am almost 34 now). The powerful story about how one girl could organize and unite her neighborhood, stave off the gangs, and basically initiate the re-emergence of civilization in a world gone awry after all adults were killed by a plague fascinated me as a child, and has stayed with me over the years. I remember to this day how much of an impact Lisa's poem "Having things is something, but not everything . . . Earning the values for your life is more than just something, it is everything" had on my goals and values growing up.

Many years later, I had to do a paper for an American Studies class in college about an archetypal "American" story, and pulled out my old copy of "The Girl Who Owned a City," and it was only then that I realized that the author was an advocate of Ayn Rand's philosophy. As an adult reading the book, I noticed the political ideology of the author much more. As a child, I thought it was a great story with a moral that was very inspirational to me at the time -- that girls can be leaders and have a creative impact on society.

I give this book five stars, because, whether or not the book contains a political message, it is a great story for kids. After all, how many books today emphasize the fundamental premise that you must work for what is important in life--and not just expect success to be handed to you on a silver platter?

I remember reading this book a long time ago, and when I saw a couple episodes of the TV show "The Tribe" it made me remember it and go searching for it again. The premise is very similar.

I won't go into details on the philosophy and all that; other reviewers already have and besides, I just (still) like the book for the story. But I do have to say - find and read an older edition if at ALL possible! The "new" (1995) paperback is like a condensed version - the language is much simpler, shorter sentences, less moments of thoughtfully-worded consideration... paragraphs are shortened and sentences omitted entirely! The new version basically stinks in writing style, but the original (1977) really isn't that stilted at all. Why did the publishers go and do this? Doesn't make any sense to me. Today's kids aren't that much dumber than they were 20 years ago, that they need a version written for someone four grades lower!

This was one of the first books I was really able to ever get into. Yes, I read it when I was eleven years old. I got into it so much because I could relate to the characters in the book (since they were all around my own age) and I could also relate to the feeling of wondering what life would be like without any adults. At the time, the book scared me. It taught me to value what I've got (especially my parents) and much more! Another reason I found myself able to relate to the book was because it was in writing I could understand. I don't think O.T. Nelson wrote this book for adults. Otherwise it would've had adult language and adult situations. Instead, all of the characters were children. Since most of the book is dialogue anyway, it's very easy to understand why they would not have such "grown-up" thoughts. O.T. Nelson, in my opinion, was trying to appeal to children with this book and so wrote FOR children.

I can honestly say, though, that at almost 20 years old I just finished reading this book for the second time in my life and enjoyed it just as much as I did nearly ten years ago.

When everyone over 12 dies, 10-year-old Lisa and her brother Todd are thrust into a world with no adults. Lisa is very resourceful, and finds many places to get food. However, there is a gang that is determined to steal everything she has from her. So she organizes a militia of Grand Avenue (her street) and they start learning how to defend themselves. When Grand Avenue fails, Lisa finds another location that would be like a fortress. They start a city there, and soon the population is over 500. But when the same gang is able to conquer Glenbard, Lisa has to find a way to get it back. This is an excellent story. I got it in July and have read it about twelve times. I never get tired of it. It's exciting, although scary, to think about what would happen if a plauge really happened, and we children had to survive. This book is a great read.

Okay, I read this book years ago... Actually, it was required reading for me and my classmates. Why? Because it takes place in my hometown in Illinois. The main idea is that all the adults in the world have died from a strange virus, and kids (about 12 and younger) are forced to carry on with survival. It's not some remote island; it takes place in Chicago's suburbia, so the basic needs can be found and had. The problem is that the gangs have now formed, and they either fight amongst themselves for resources and territory, or form alliances with each other for survival. The main character (Lisa) pretty much the head of one group, and when things turn south for them, she has this idea to move everyone into the old high-school. This old high-school just happens to pretty much be an old castle on top of one of the only hills in the area.

Reading it again as an adult, I do see some flaws, but having read it for the first time in junior-high, I loved the story, and put myself in the main character's shoes. Okay, it helped that I lived there, knew people on Chidester and Elm, knew one of the teachers (Remember she mentions that "Mrs. Moran" wouldn't have given her high marks on her Constitution? That was actually a social-studies teacher at the local junior-high-school.), and eventually graduated from "Glenbard" (okay, it's one of four "Glenbard" schools in the district). I think it's a really good read for that age group, especially for kids who enjoy stories that make them think a bit...

Ok, now here's a story behind the story. I am currently a 32 year-old elementary teacher. I started out teaching sixth grade, for several years, but now teach primary. When I was in fifth grade our teacher read us this book. We were captivated. At the time that this book was written, the minds of kids (at least our age) could not possibly conceive of this plot-line. Everyday, we could not wait to see what happenned, and we constantly talked about the situation, struggles, and concerns of the characters.

Fast forward to the beginning of my teaching career and I remembered the protagonists name, the story-line, and nothing else. Since that time I have wanted to find this book, but had very little luck. My fifth grade teacher died about ten years ago, and I never had a chance to ask her (we worked in the same district). The power behind this book isn't necessarily literary. It is written for children. Children have minds that are black and white, most of the time. The holes in this story do create an arena to question it's integrity, but it also inspires kids to ask those questions.

As far as all of the philosophical conversations, well it has to be direct and to the point for young readers to wrap there brains around it. So really, it depends on what you are judging the book against.

In terms a childrens' book, it's not perfect. But, obviously powerful. I remembered it.

We've thought of it often. The what ifs. What if the world lost all its men and there were only women? Or vice versa.

The Girl who owned a city by O.T. Nelson writes about a world with no one over the age of twelve. In spite of some unanswered questions, I quite enjoyed this book, especially the telling of it from an eleven year old Point of view.

As with other reviewers, my questions are pretty much the same. Where did all the dead bodies ago? The smell alone from millions of putrefying corpses would make hard for anyone to live, and how would children that age bury (or burn) them all if they were left behind? My next question is. If only those under age twelve survived, what happened to the infants? Surely there were newborns in hospitals, at home, in the markets in strollers etc. They were left to die. And does anyone have a clue how hard it is to get a toddler I (I assume some of them survived in the city) to sit still for a nano-second?

That town that Lisa and company came upon that had "died and they didn't dare look inside any of the buildings because they knew what they would find."
I assume insects and flies still lived and they would have gotten to the bodies and sent up a powerful stink causing diseases that the survivors would never be able to endure.

The author made the main characters in the book a little too super for me in some cases. Reading a book does not a doctor make. I would have chosen something a little less invasive than removing a bullet (no matter how superficial) from Lisa's arm.

Another question I had was, does this mean that these children do not live beyond age twelve? Is the plague still prevalent? Or are these the new people, to be new adults?

The author did prove that one or two things will ALWAYS abide and that is, as long as there are two people in the world there will be conflict. (EDEN is finished). There will always be one who wants to lord over the other. It's the human way.

I did like the fact that the story didn't get bogged down with the current problems at hand, racism, style trends etc. They were children forced to grow up as MUCH as they as FAST as they could.

It was however a very thought provoking and entertaining read.

The Girl Who Owned a City

"At this very time last Tuesday, Lisa had been sitting, patiently in sixth grade social studies. There had been no reason to believe that her life would ever change. But it had and now it seemed suddenly terrible. The whole world has changed."
In this post-apocalyptic world, children under 12 years of age are the only survivors of the horrendous plague that invades their dreams and haunts them wherever they wander. There hasn't been such a great story of a world without adults since the Lord of the Flies. In the book, The Girl Who Owned a City, by O.T.Nelson, a courageous 10 year old girl, Lisa, is appointed leader of the children on Grand Avenue, America. As soon as the deadly plague hits, gangs of fierce and ruthless children begin to form. Finding weapons, they threaten innocent young children for supplies and more recruits. Lisa's enemy, the boisterous Tom Logan and his army try to steal supplies from the children of Grand Avenue. Lisa's only hope is to be able to gather the children and create a militia in order to fight Tom Logan's gang.
Devoid of water and electricity, they must learn to survive on this barren and ghostly planet, using all of the supplies they have scavenged. O.T.Nelson uses descriptive language to get across to the reader about how lucky they are to have the resources they have. For example, a five year old boy must learn to drive a car in order to make long trips to a secret source of supplies.
This is a perfect book for those young adults who love an interesting mix of sci-fi and survival story.

I found this book in the school library in Junior High and have thought about it ever since. All the positive stuff the other reviewers have said about it I agree with. To this day I stop and think about what I would do if I had been her. I can't even imagine how the ideas and concepts put forth in this book have shaped who I am today.
The only bad thing about this book was that it is so short. I did stumble upon a book with a similar theme that you should hunt down (it's currently out of print) if you loved this book - Emergence by David R. Palmer. Enjoy!

This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. Now I'm a teacher, and EVERY one of my students who has read this book loved it, boys and girls. So many children don't enjoy reading, but this book encourages them to read, to think, and to enjoy themselves! Other comments here mention inconsistencies in the book. I say lighten up--most children's books have some plot gaps that are noticeable to adults. Honestly, these gaps are what encourage the kids reading to think for themselves. Someone asked where the bodies were in the story--it's not really relevant in a children's book! The bodies of the adults are not the focus in this book--survival is. Why scare the children reading the book by focusing on death?! This book's focus is on moving forward with life. As far as disagreeing with the main character, Lisa, being the leader in the story: the fact that the reviewers have put so much thought into what they find wrong with the book is actually what makes it so right for children...it has definitely caused its readers to think! I find this book to be extremely thought-provoking for my students. Realizing how much they take for granted in their present lives (i.e.: electricity, stocked grocery stores, laws and rules, etc.), it's interesting to see the ideas the children generate as they contemplate how they would survive in the situation presented in this book. This book stresses the importance of rebuilding society by using the prior knowledge found in books--what better way to promote reading in our children now?!? This book is interesting, and it really captures the attention and promotes creative thinking in its readers. All children should feel like they can do whatever they set their minds to. The main character in this book inspires them to work together, reach for their dreams, brainstorm, problem-solve, and to believe in themselves. I will definitely continue to use and recommend this book. It is still one of the best I have read!