Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi, Young Adult Fiction

Young Adult Book Review by Lily Grebe
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
This was a fantastic book. The story line was completely unique and hooking. The main character, a skinny teenage boy named Nailer, is part of a crew of poor teens who live on ruined Gulf Coast beaches scavenging the hulks of stranded oil tankers for salvage. The work is hard and dangerous, and Nailer dreams of escaping a life of back-breaking work, crushing poverty, and an abusive, drug-addicted father to sail on the sleek, hydrofoil clipper ships he reads about in magazines. When one of those ships wrecks on the shores of Nailer's beach during a huge tropical storm, he might just get his chance to escape.
I generally don’t enjoy science fiction books because they end up all the same or people throw in lame vampires. However, Bacigalupi caught my attention from the very beginning and held it throughout with great characters and hidden meanings. Plus, the storyline wasn’t only unique, but the setting. I love descriptive books and Bacigalupi did a great job. I recommend this book to any teenager looking for a good read.