Audiobook7 hours
The One Safe Place
Written by Tania Unsworth
Narrated by Mark Turetsky
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Devin doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley. When his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city. Once there, among the stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him, living alone on the streets. They tell him rumors of a place for abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family. But only the luckiest get there.An act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it's soon clear that it's no paradise. As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers the home's horrific true mission. The only real hope is escape, but the place is as secure as a fortress.Fans of dystopian fiction and spine-chilling adventure will devour The One Safe Place; its haunting themes will resonate long after readers have turned the final page.
Author
Tania Unsworth
Tania Unsworth spent her childhood in Cambridge before moving to America in her early twenties. She comes from a family of writers and lives in Boston, USA, with her husband and two sons. Find Tania @TaniaUnsworth1 on Twitter or her website taniaunsworth.com
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Reviews for The One Safe Place
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
12 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I LOVED IT. Couldn't put it down. Totally appropriate for 7th graders, and I loved it as an adult.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fascinating dystopian novel set in the not-so distant future. America is covered with drought and there is a huge gap between the uber-rich and the destitute poor. When Devin's grandfather dies he goes on a quest to the city to find someone who might help him out on the family farm. Along the way Devin meets Kit, and together they end up at the Gabriel Penn Home. Something is not quite right, and together, Devin and his new friends unearth the mystery.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A bit heavy-handed and reminiscent of The Name of This Book is Secret, a young boy goes in search of help for his farm and is goaded into going to a compound for children. The themes make this appropriate for YA but there's little that doesn't make it appropriate for middle grade.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In a future dystopia marked by gross income inequality and climate change, Devin has lived his life on a desolate farm with his beloved grandfather. When his grandfather dies, Devin knows he is unable to do it all himself. He heads to the city to seek help but is unprepared for what he finds there. It is a sad and cruel place for the many abandoned children who are forced to survive any way they can. When he is told about a safe place, a wonderful place, for exceptional children, he agrees to go as long as his new friend, Kit, can come.When they arrive at the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood, at first, it seems perfect. There’s lots of food, playthings, animals, and other children. But something just doesn’t seem right. The children, despite all this plenty, seem sad and subdued…except for a couple whose behaviour seems very odd. When Kay exhibits this strange behaviour, Devin is determined to discover what is behind it. But now it seems, it’s his turn and the Director has something very special planned for him.Author Tania Unsworth has drawn a dark and disturbing near-future in her novel, The One safe Place, aimed at a YA audience but with enough suspense and creep-factor to satisfy an adult audience. The children are, for the most part, well-drawn, eccentric, and sympathetic and, although, it seems like there isn’t a nice adult anywhere outside of the farm, this actually works within the confines of the story. The tale gripped me from the beginning and kept me enthralled until the very satisfying end. Nice debut from Unsworth – I look forward to reading more from her in the future albeit hopefully not the future depicted in her novel.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I am often horrified to hear of 4th and 5th grade teachers who have used The Hunger Games as a read-aloud in their classrooms. There are dystopians that are much more appropriate for middle graders than things like The Hunger Games and Divergent . I don't care how many movies get made from those series, they are too dark and twisty for elementary students, or even lower middle school students. However, The One Safe Place can join the likes of Among the Hidden and The City of Ember series as dystopian books that those ages (and over) can enjoy. Not that this book isn't dark, and it definitely has twisty people, but it is not the blood and gore that is thrown in your face constantly in the others. I really enjoyed this book. It had great world-building, the writing was good, the plot was intense and creepy, the main characters were love-able and the secondary characters were one of my favorite parts. My only problem with it was the ending, I prefer my endings nicely wrapped up, but this one felt more like The Giver - a little too up-in-the-air for me. But it WAS an ending, I would just like to know what happens from there. Is there going to be a sequel? I haven't heard of one. However, that was a very small little complaint in an otherwise great book. It is a quick and exciting read and I highly recommend it.Areas of concern:Children are harmed and put in dangerous and unhealthy situations.Was there any bad language? I don't remember, so it must not have been too obvious because I do tend to notice that :)