Friday, March 30, 2012

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson

The original The Girl Who Owned a City was written in 1975. This year it has been adapted into graphic novel form. This is an amazing and powerful story of survival.
Lisa and her brother Todd live in a suburb of Chicago. All the adults have died due to a bizarre virus. Children are now forced to fend for themselves. They are weak and hungry. Lisa is different. She spends her time coming up with plans to find food and supplies. It doesn’t take long before the rest of the children start to notice.
There are gangs in her area and one robs her brother when Lisa is out scavenging. She decides it’s time to bring together her neighbors so they can protect each other. Eventually, the group moves to the high school and together they build a “city”. This is Lisa’s city and she has to defend it. Things get bad and she has to step up as the leader she was meant to be.
O.T. Nelson’s story is a testament to the power children can have. It’s a tale of survival against the most awful odds. I recommend this for children of any age (except those who are sensitive to blood and violence). The violence is minimal but one character does get shot.


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