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Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker

By Paolo Bacigalupi

Genre: Science Fiction

Curriculum subjects: Science Fiction, Survival, Character Development

Grade: 9-12

Download Educator Guide

A gritty, high-stakes adventure set in a futuristic world where oil is scarce, but loyalty is scarcer.

In America’s Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day.

But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life….

In this powerful novel, Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.

PRAISE

Winner of the 2011 Printz Medal

“Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi.” – Booklist