Customer Reviews

Phoenix Rising

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Phoenix Rising was written by Karen Hesse. I really enjoyed this book because it showed me things I have never experienced before. The main character in this book is Nyle, she is 13 years old and she has a rough life. She went though a tough time because she has lose everyone in her family except her grandma. I think the author did a great job on using descriptive words. Nyle met a couple of new people and turned out to be her friends. She didn't really want new friends because she thought the same thing was going to happen to them that happened to the rest of her family. Overall I loved this book!

Phoenix Rising is the tale of thirteen year-old Nyle. Nyle lives with her Grandmother. After a nuclear power plant exploded in Massachussetts the radiation in the air causes damage to almost every buissness and farm in the VT,MA area. Nyle and her Grandmother take in two people who had no where to stay after the accident and learn to care for them.
Phoenix Rising is a great book. I live in southern Vermont and I know many people who go to school where Nyle does in the story {Leland and Grey}. Since I live in a tourist town an explosion like the one in this book would greatly effect my town.
Buy this book!!! and if you like it buy these to~ After the War-Carol Matas~Coffin Quilt-Ann Rinaldi and Johanna Hurwitz books{if your under twelve}

This was the best book I have ever read. I know that's really all I need to say, but I'm going to tell you a little about it too.

A girl named Nyle Sumner lives with her 'Gran' on a sheep farm in Vermont. A nuclear power plant in Cookshire, Massechusetts (? I'm guessing it's MA) exploded, causing radiation to leak out and affect cities miles away. Nyle's grandmother decides to take in evacuees from the accident, Miriam and her son Ezra. She doesn't want to be friends with Ezra at first, but she eventually does...other characters include...a midget, Nyle's best friend, named Muncie Harris. Who is super cool. So anyways, I hope you enjoy/enjoyed this book even half as much as I did. (: Email me if you want to talk about it, I obviously have no life.

evacuee@bellsouth.net

aww, I know my email adress is...quite strange. But oh well.

In school we read a brilliant book as a group, Phoenix Rising (by Karen Hesse). If you are looking for something interesting to read, Phoenix Rising is a good book for pretty much anyone. It is a book on the subject of problems, regarding loss.

The history of the family is very unfortunate. Just before the book started there was a radioactive explosion at a nuclear power plant. The main character, Nyle and her grandma live on a farm near Cookshire, Vermont. Nyle's dad left when she was very young. Her father left Nyle with her grandparents when her mother was very sick because he did not want to see Nyle's mother die. Her mother died years before the explosion as well as her grandfather; they both died in the back bedroom. Nyle saw it as the dying room. Then Ezra and his mother, two evacuees, came to stay in the back bedroom.

The events of the story are very dramatic. There was a radioactive explosion. Suddenly there were protective masks, contaminated food and evacuations. I think it would make it very hard to try to live a peaceful life again after something like that.

The main troubles the family had were: One, Nyle was afraid to care or love anyone again. Two, sometime Nyle will have to face telling her best friend, Muncie about Ezra. Muncie and her family live on Nyle's grandmother's property. She was afraid if she told Muncie about Ezra staying with her, Muncie would freak out and move off their property, and then Nyle would not have a friend. Three, it is hard to deal with everything, and it is hard to face the truth that anything could happen to Ezra.

The thoughts and opinions I had for this book were focused on the author and the book as it unraveled. When I first read the book it seemed stupid. I wanted to tell my teacher it was a lousy book and the worst book that was ever written, but I read it anyway. I kept reading and it was the one of the greatest books I ever read. That was because I could relate - I have lost people in my life. But, the only question I had for Karen Hesse was, "What was her point? What was the moral of the book? What was she trying to tell us?" I don't have an answer, but I know there was a point and everyone sees it from a different point of view. And this book made me feel that I am not the only one that has lost important people.

Even though it was a story, people can still relate to it. I thought the beginning was slow to start, but once I got into it I wanted to read more. I saw Nyle as the main character and as the Phoenix. Ezra could have been the Phoenix because he helped Nyle change how she felt about people. I think people should recognize that if you don't like a book you could abandon it or keep reading because you should never read a book you dislike.

Nyle reminded me of myself because it is difficult for me to change like her. I can't seem to come to a conclusion. But my loss helped me understand feelings that the characters had. I would definitely recommend this book. I would recommend this book to children around 10 and 12, as well as people just looking for an interesting book.

Phoenix Rising is about a farm girl named Nyle. Nyle's best friend, Muncie, is (to everyone but Nyle) a mutant. Muncie is very small, but has twice the strength of Nyle. There was an explosion at a nuclear power plant and everyone needs to wear radiation masks. Ezra is the son of the boss of the power plant in Cookshire (southern Vermont).

Nyle and her grandmother decide to house two of the evacuees. Ezra's mother is named Mrs. Trent. Ezra's father died in the accident (he ran in and got other people out because Ezra told him it was his fault and he also kept absorbing more and more radiation when finally his skin was all bubbly and black, he died in the hospital bed). Ezra is 15 and Nyle is 13 years old.

Nyle feels she has to hide Ezra from Muncie because Muncie's family is afraid they will get sick if they are around people who have the radiation sickness. Muncie's family is also very careful with their decisions. Muncie is always thinking of the perfect thing to say. Later in the book Nyle and Muncie go to Manchester and see a replay of the accident on the news and Nyle realizes why Ezra is so afraid of the outside world.

I liked this book because it had some sad parts in it and it had a scenario of a nuclear explosion. It's also what would happen if there was a nuclear explosion at a power plant.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes books with many conflicts. The conflicts had an impact on the book by connecting things together and making you realize that everything happens for a reason. No events in this book just happen then fade away. I also recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that could be real but aren't, because when I was reading this book I kept wondering if the story was real... but it wasn't.

The characters had a personality. Ezra's personality was kind and gentle. He was also rich but after the accident he realized there are other people that aren't rich but can still have a happy life. Nyle's was a simple farm girl that liked the outdoors. Muncie's personality was a kind caring person that cared about other people and if they were different she tried to make friends with them. I like books like that because it keeps the story alive. I loved this book and I hope you will too! On a scale of 1 to 100 I give this book a 100!

I read the book Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse. This book is about a girl, Nyle, who lives with her grandmother. Nyle's mother died when she was young and her father left because he couldn't watch Nyle's mom die. When a nuclear explosion goes off at a power plant in Cookshire, many are left homeless and sick. Nyle and her grandmother take in two evacuees, Ezra and Mrs. Trent. At first, Nyle is reluctant for Ezra to come, but then realizes he is not that bad. They grow closer, as Nyle's best friend Muncie and her grow apart because Nyle feels that Ezra needs to be kept a secret. Muncie's family is scared of radiation and Ezra had a lot of radiation, so that is why Nyle felt like she had to keep Ezra a secret. Muncie and Nyle get in a huge fight and don't speak for a while. Something happens to Ezra - read the book and you will find out!

When Ezra came to stay, I thought that he wasn't going to pay attention to Nyle, but all he did was pay attention to Nyle! I thought that Ezra was really nice to Nyle. He listened to what she had to say and I thought that that was really respectful and courteous. I think when Ezra came to stay, Nyle inside was happy because she could hang out with someone else besides Muncie, even though she tried to convince herself she wasn't happy.

I think Nyle should have left the decision up to Muncie about Ezra because Muncie isn't helpless; she is just different from Nyle. If I were Nyle, I would have told Muncie about Ezra because Muncie would have probably still stuck around. Muncie can defend what is hers; it just took Nyle a while to realize that.

I really enjoyed this book. This book teaches you a lesson: Live your life, and never give up! Out of 10 stars, this book gets all 10! I recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction and books about love, loss and becoming a new person. If you want to know what happens in the book, read it!

I would say this was the second best book I read. It includes drama, action, and is very informational. It has great falling and rising action. The book is fiction, but has non-fiction events. The book has a great climax. The characters really interact and help each other stay alive and fight the radiation. The book tells about what radiation can really do to you and the enviroment. The book really makes you think about it and puts images in your mind. Friendships fall apart and reunite. The book shows how hard it is to get through life. The accident at cookshire causes Erza to get radiation sickness. Nyle and Gran have to take care and keep Ezra and his mother until the radiation dies down.

A nuclear plant has exploded and people are afraid of getting radiation. Evacuees are everywhere, searching for help. The Trents are one of these. They are staying in Nyle Sumners home, a 13 year old girl who lives in a farm. At first, Nyle is wary of the 15 year old boy, Ezra. As time goes by however, they become friends and Nyle leads him back to health. They almost became more than friends before.....you find out. This book was the most touching book I've ever read. I cried so hard and couldn't stop. To people who haven't read this book yet, you have to! You won't regret it. People need a few good cries now and then. This is the best way to do it.

It all starts when a nuclear spill takes place. A boy named Ezra is sick from radiation poisioning. He goes to live with Nyle and her Gram. At first Nyle doesn't like the idea of having him and his mother, but she gets over it. Ezra grows stronger everyday, but sometimes he is very weak. Nyle doesn't tell Muncie, her best friend, about Ezra. Nyle is starting to like having Ezra around and spends a lot of time with him. Muncie gets mad at Nyle, because she thinks that she doesn't really like her. Ezra keeps getting better and now he is able to attend school. When he goes to school he learns that he is the smartest person in his class. One time, when Nyle is visiting Ezra in his room she asked him what he wanted to hear today. Nyle would read him stories. In reply Ezra said, "Your voice." He told her how when he was sick her voice always brought him back. He also told her how he was a phoenix rising. He explained the meaning of that, which was an old myth. He said that a bird called a phoenix rises out of its ashes.

Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse is the best book I've ever read! I think it teaches you about loss and that there's always someone out there for you. It takes place in Vermont. It's about two thirteen-year-old farm girls named Nyle and Muncie and a fifteen-year old radiation-sick boy named Ezra. Nyle and Muncie are best friends. Muncie's family is very afraid of radiation and people that are sick from it. They also live on Nyle's Grandma's Property.

Ezra lived in Cookshire. When he lived there, his father owned the nuclear power plant. When the power plant blew up, Ezra's father went in to get other people out and ended up dying. Ezra got sick from radiation and Nyle and her grandmother allowed him and his mother stay there. Nyle lived with her grandmother. Many years ago, her father left and her mother and grandfather died.

When Ezra came to stay, Nyle stays home to help him. When Nyle stops going to Muncie's house and stays home with Ezra, their friendship starts breaking. When Muncie finds out about Ezra, Nyle and Muncie's friendship ended for a while. But when Nyle and Ezra needed help, Muncie didn't hesitate. I think that it was smart that Nyle didn't tell Muncie about Ezra because if Nyle told Muncie, Muncie's family would move away and Nyle would never see her again, but if Nyle and Muncie drifted apart, after Ezra left they could try to be friends again. I think that the morning after Muncie found out about Ezra, Muncie was overreacting about why Nyle didn't tell her about it. Earlier in the book Muncie said the evacuees were mutants, and when Muncie found out about Ezra, she said that Nyle should have told her. However, Nyle was telling Muncie that she would have freaked out if Nyle had told her.

I liked the part when Muncie said that everyone is dying because it made sense, no matter how young you are, you're still slowly dying. I think something the author could have done better would be to take out the part where it said that Mrs. Trent was getting sick from radiation because the author never said anything else about it. On a scale of one to ten, I rate this book a twelve! I hope you take my advice and READ THIS BOOK!