Escaping Eleven
Escaping Eleven
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St. Martin's Press
Just the Series: Eleven Trilogy Vol. 1   

Series and Publisher: Eleven Trilogy   

Annotation: In Compound Eleven, the hierarchy of the floors is everything. My name is Eve Hamilton, and on my floor, we fight. Which... more
 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #308716
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Copyright Date: 2021
Edition Date: 2021 Release Date: 09/07/21
Pages: 389 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 1-649-37097-0 Perma-Bound: 0-8000-0923-1
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-1-649-37097-6 Perma-Bound: 978-0-8000-0923-6
Dewey: Fic
Dimensions: 22 cm
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

A young fighter must navigate an oppressive, hierarchical Compound, learn the truth about the outside world, and understand her feelings for a boy who seems to come from a different place. Eve Hamilton lives on the Lower Mean t the lowest floor, where there's no hope of escape, but one where opportunity is still hard to come by. At the start of the novel, Eve needs to decide what to do for a living ght professionally for the entertainment of others or get a factory job. But Eve has different plans: escape the Compound and take her chances in the desolate outside world. Chisholm's novel, especially the character of Eve, will attract fans of dystopian fiction and bring back fond memories of The Hunger Games and others. Told from Eve's perspective, the narrative captures the desolate life of the lower levels and creates a world that feels downright claustrophobic. Despite inconsistent pacing, the dynamics within the Compound and Eve's tenacity will snare readers' attention from the very first page. Fans of Kass Morgan and Veronica Roth will devour this series starter.

Kirkus Reviews

In this post-apocalyptic YA series opener, a teen is determined to leave her restrictive underground community for the perilous world above.The sun has rendered life on Earth's surface unsuitable for humanity. Sixteen-year-old Eve Hamilton lives in Compound Eleven, a self-sustaining underground city with five levels. Now that she's finished with school, she must choose a profession. However, as a Lower Mean (someone from the second level), her job options are menial and unfulfilling. Fortunately, she's an excellent competitive fighter for the Blue Circuit in the Bowl, an arena where rules of honor are seldom followed. One day, Eve squares off against a Preeminate (or "Preme"), a young man from the fifth level where the Compound's wealthy founders live. As he's two years older and more experienced, he knocks her out handily-but then he sits by her bed in the nurse's station, concerned. He reveals that his name is Wren, but Eve doesn't care about his guilt over injuring her. She only wants to access the Oracle, a viewing station that peeks above ground. Once there, she plans to escape for good, as she wants nothing to do with the society that only allows one child per family-and doomed her infant brother, Jack. Debut author Chisholm remixes elements from other post-apocalyptic YA series, such as Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games books, into a familiar but compelling new premise. The handsome, sympathetic Wren seems too good to be true at times, but he convincingly and pleasantly wins her over. Her narration, meanwhile, is often terse and tough, with lines such as "There is no job I will choose. In six weeks' time, I will be gone." The most incredible moments occur with the glassed-in Oracle; Eve's first sight of a living tree, for example, is as uplifting as it is heartbreaking. Some characters, such as abusive boyfriends and bullies, feel standard for the genre, but effectively show that some aspects of humanity will sadly remain the same in the future. The tight narrative halts just where readers will expect, but the next volume leaves plenty to explore.A compulsively readable tale, despite its use of well-worn genre tropes.

School Library Journal (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Gr 10 Up-Four generations ago, the sun burned too hot on the surface of the Earth, so those with money built underground compounds. Compound Eleven is Eve's home, and no one she knows has ever been to another, or above ground. Eleven is divided into five floors: Premes live on the fifth floor in luxury, then Upper Means, Means, Lower Means, and finally, the Denominators live on the bottom floor among dirt, chaos, and hunger. Eve's life as a Lower Means has revolved around school and combat matches. She is a strong fighter but knows pain, especially that of having her little brother taken away many years ago. She is paired to fight Wren, a Preme boy, who clearly does not expect or want to fight a girl. Even though she loses and is knocked out during the fight, a tentative and unlikely friendship begins between the two. Eve cannot imagine toiling underground to serve the same people who took her brother. She dreams instead of a way to escape and live above ground, even if it means a quick and certain death. This captivating story will appeal to a wide range of readers. The characterizations, the flow of the writing, and the plot weave together into a captivating tale. Eve, Wren, and her friends' descriptions are consistent with white people, and one friend has dark skin. VERDICT Readers will feel a range of emotions and look forward to the next installment in the trilogy. Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township H.S., Cape May Court House, NJ

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Tue Dec 03 00:00:00 CST 2024)
School Library Journal (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)
Reading Level: 6.0
Interest Level: 9-12

In Compound Eleven, the hierarchy of the floors is everything. My name is Eve Hamilton, and on my floor, we fight. Which at least is better than the bottom floor, where they toil away in misery. Only the top floor has any ease in this harsh world; they rule from their gilded offices. Because four generations ago, Earth was rendered uninhabitable--the sun too hot, the land too barren. Those who remained were forced underground. While not a perfect life down here, I've learned to survive as a fighter. Except my latest match is different. Instead of someone from the circuit, my opponent is a mysterious boy from the top floor. And the look in his eyes tells me he's different...maybe even kind. Right before he kicks my ass. Still, there's something about him--something that says he could be my salvation...or my undoing. Because I'm no longer content to just survive in Eleven. Today, I'm ready to fight for more than my next meal: I'm fighting for my freedom. And this boy may just be the edge I've been waiting on. The Eleven trilogy is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Escaping Eleven Book #2 Unraveling Eleven Book #3 Ending Eleven


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