Summary: Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, a
small town in the New World consisting of 146 men and 1 boy: Todd. It is thirty days before his 13th
birthday when he will become a man, even though he does not know the true
meaning of this. He has be raised
by adopted parents Ben and Cillian, and has been taught that ten years before
his birth, the settlement was established, but then aliens called Spacks
attacked and released the Noise Germ which killed all women and half the men. They
are surrounded by noise: voices, moaning, singing, crying, thoughts and
pictures by not only the people, but even the animals and plants. In the swamp,
Todd discovers quiet, and sensing danger, Ben and Cillian send him away to
search for safety with a map, his mother's diary and a knife. He meets a girl
named Viola who was the quiet he heard and we discover she was from a crashed
scouting expedition sent by a large spaceship bringing thousands more
settlers. As Todd and Viola
continue their adventure to find other settlements, the preacher from town,
Aaron, follows as he is determined his death at the hands of Todd will raise
him to sainthood. After several threatening encounters, Viola stabs and kills
Aaron and the knife disappears off a ledge, which saves Todd from the murderous
fate of the other men. Viola is then shot and gravely wounded. As Todd carries her into the city of
Haven to find help, he sees it has been taken over by the evil Mayor Prentiss,
who has now proclaimed himself to be the President of the New World.
Commentary: This is a fast paced science fiction
novel written in first personal narrative by Todd. It holds your interest from the first page to the last with
vivid descriptions of the characters and the New World settings. While it is
often violent with many of the beloved characters being killed, including
Todd's loyal dog Manchee, it is also endearing to know the innocence of Todd
and Viola and their developing love as they search for a better life. The
language used in the book is engaging. Since all books in Prentisstown were
burned years before, most of the people are illiterate, so many of the words
are spelled phonetically. The
description of the ever intruding Noise is very original as it is portrayed in
larger letters, often overlapping and jumbled. There is also a wonderful use of
symbolism, as with Todd's knife representing power, which is lost at the death
of Aaron. At the end of the book,
Todd relinquishes all this power to President Prentiss in his desire to save
Viola. The ending is somewhat
disappointing, but is obviously a lead into the next book of the trilogy. This story is appropriate for middle
school to adults, and one can't help but envision an upcoming movie series.
Connections: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
and Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
