Thirteen (Shannon Peel) BOOK REVIEW | NO SPOILERS

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Ahoy!

I received an arc of this book for review in exchange for a review 

Click to purchase on Amazon! 


In a nutshell: 
Jack wants to hang out with his friends, but his mom's rules keep him grounded until they wake up to machine gun fire and everything has changed. Foreign soldiers have invaded his hometown cutting off power, shutting down communications, and restricting travel. To make matters worse, he doesn't know if his dad is alive, wounded, captured, or dead. He wants to find him, however, his mother doesn't care, the soldiers are in his way, and the cop who busted him is no help at all.
Feedback from a 92 year old great grandmother: My comment on it is that Shannon did a wonderful job of writing Thirteen. It was well written, and the description of events was well thought out. It was exciting, scary at times and sad as well. It's a book worth reading. OK, so it was my 92 year old grandmother... 


The Actual Review:
I recently took a learning analysis test to see what learning style is best for me (I'm a visual learner, by the way). The site that did the analysis recommended that I read books that are rich in imagery.

Thirteen is perfect for that. The description alongside the plot creates a powerful story that really made me think about life if our freedom was delimited. The writing really captured my attention and meant that it fit well into my schedule!

Overall, Thirteen was a well-written, gripping read from start to finish which I recommend for the ages of 11 - 15 (although I think an adult would enjoy it too, without feeling like they're reading a children's book) 

My only concern is that whilst Jack, Sidney, Nick and Kim (four of the most prominent characters) were developed and strong figures, Paige was a manic pixie dream girl, which is unfortunate. 

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Conclusion:
+ The imagery and writing style is beautiful!
+ The story is powerful and perfect for children and teens between the ages of 11 and 15
+ Most characters are positive role models, although there is one case of a manic pixie dream girl! 




About the Author: 

Shannon Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family's root runs deep. Growing up where television was either non existent or very limited she relied on books & imagination to escape into the world beyond.

She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.

After a career in the financial field, she decided to stay at home and raise her two children until school age. In 2007 she returned to the workforce as a sales/marketing/advertising professional. She currently resides in BC's Lower Mainland with her two teenage children.

THIRTEEN is her debut, full size,  paperback novel. She also is the author of an adult fantasy series, JOURNIES IN ELADONIA, consisting of eBook novellas. 




2 comments:

  1. Great review and I love your grandmothers feedback. I'm also super curious what website you did the learning analysis test on.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, AngelErin! I did the analysis here ---> http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml ;)

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