The Girl Who Owned A City (Paperback)

by O.T. Nelson (Author) "Good! The house was empty..." (more)
Key Phrases: tower chamber, Grand Avenue, Swift Road, Tom Logan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When a plague sweeps over the earth killing everyone except children under twelve, ten-year-old Lisa organizes a group to rebuild a new way of life.

From the Publisher
A killing virus has swept the earth, sparing only children through the age of twelve. There is chaos everywhere, even in formely prosperous mid-America. Gangs and fierce armies of children begin to form almost immediately. It would be the same for the children on Grand Avenue but for Lisa, a yen-year-old girl who becomes their leader. Because of Lisa, they have food, even toys, in abundance. And now they can protect themselves from the fierce gangs that roam the neighborhoods. But for how long? Then Lisa conceives the idea of a fortress, a city in which the children could live safely and happily always, and she intends to lead them there.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (September 15, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440928931
• ISBN-13: 978-0440928935
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #237,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having things is something, but not everything . . ., December 19, 2000

By	"ulalame" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story of self-reliance and courage......READ IT!, June 29, 1998

By A Customer

I first read this book when I was 10 (17 or so years ago) and it was immediately my favorite. I even enjoy rereading it now from time to time. It encourages self-reliance, courage, and creative thinking...the reader is continually asking, "What would I do if I were in the same situation?" The book thrusts the reader into a world without the security of adults, where children are forced to find their own way. As a child, it was always a fantasy of mine that all adults would fade away and take their annoying authority with them, but The Girl Who Owned A City presents a very realistic view of such a world...with its hardships and cruelties, yet also with its opportunities and challenges. The plot captivates while it teaches responsibility, compassion and the importance of intelligence and creativity. I highly recommend it to anyone from 8 or so years old on up. It's still on my bookshelf, and I still like to take a few hours to reread it, pretend I'm Lisa in a world gone haywire, and wonder, "just what would I do?"

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Keep an open mind, May 7, 2006

By	D. Orfinik "Orfy" (Mooresville, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Girl Who Owned a City (Young Adult Fiction) (Paperback)

This book is not somehting you will not see on the best sellers list because it was written for kids. I grew up where this book takes place and went to the high school Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn, IL. Todd and I were classmates and I remember his father O.T. Nelson writing the book which was read to us in 4th or 5th grade. We had fun reading this book and it was exciting for our class to think about how important is was for us respect one another. Maybe this touched me because I grew up with all the kids in the book... I'd say, this is a book that let's your imagination run.