Yohalem, Eve. Escape Under the Forever Sky. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2009.Characters: Lucy Hoffman, thirteen year old daughter of the American Ambassador to Ethiopia; Willa Hoffman, Lucy's mother; Iskinder, friend of Lucy who works at the Embassy; Tana and Teddy, Lucy's close friends and schoolmatesSetting: Addis Adaba, EthiopiaTheme: multicultural perspective, foreigner experiences, adventure in the wild, perseveranceGenre: realistic fiction, adventureTarget audience: middle school and early high school, Ages 10-14Summary: Lucy Hoffman is just getting used to living in Ethiopia in the American Embassy where her mom has taken the job as it's Ambassador. She is frustrated at the many restrictions that are placed on her and tries to sneak out and explore more of Ethiopia with the help of her Ethiopian classmates. Unfortunately, she is kidnapped and must find a way home to safety, venturing out into the wild "bush" of Africa meeting both animal and human friends on her journey of escape and survival.Critical response: The story is written very simply in the childish and pubescent perspective of a thirteen year old girl who tries her best to live in surroundings that are filled with restrictions placed there for her own good. Lucy's personality begins annoyingly selfish but gains deep personal growth as she finds herself having to rely on hope and her own will and intelligence to get help in the African wilderness. The adventure and description of African wildlife and culture makes this story an interesting read and readers will come out knowing a little but more about Ethiopia through Lucy's experiences of survival. Based on the simple vocabulary, the book may be geared towards middle school-aged readers and the content can be used for multicultural curriculum. I chose this book because a while ago I had read only parts of the book, so I went back to read the whole story and it kept me interested till the end. Lucy is the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, she is kept inside her house when all she wants to do is go out and explore the world, but she can't because her mother wants to keep her safe away from all the danger that awaits outside. Lucy manages to sneak off into the city but is kidnapped by drug dealers, she must find ways to survive from her captors and the African wildlife while facing many challenges; luckily for her, she finds a village and is able to contact her family to bring her home to safety. “Nationality and religion are just politics. We are all one species.” This was my favorite quote because it means that we are all equal, it shouldn't matter where we were born or what we believe in, but that we are all just humans that should get along with others. I think the first-person point of view was the best option for this story because the reader gets to see what is happening through her eyes and the things she experienced. I would recommend this book to people love an adventure; sneaking past her home security, being stolen, escaping from captors, surviving the African wildlife, reuniting with her family, she went through all that trouble because she was bored and would not listen to her mother’s warnings about the dangers that lurk behind the safety of her house.
Do You like book Escape Under The Forever Sky (2009)?
It took me two chapters but then I was hooked and wanted to keep reading till the end!
—happyface
This book is one you just can't put down!!
—joanne
