Freefall
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Freefall

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00  ·  rating details  ·  80 ratings  ·  30 reviews

What would your life be like if military service was compulsory, not voluntary?

Aggie is eighteen and getting ready to do her service for the Israeli Army. She could get a cushy assignment--maybe pushing paper somewhere--or she could just take her chances. Only, Aggie isn't like that. Despite her small size and the fact that she needs to gain weight to even make the grade,

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Hardcover, 250 pages
Published September 1st 2008 by Greenwillow Books
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Becky
Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars
Levine, Anna. 2008. Freefall.

I am about to jump. I am about to jump wearing a full load on my back. Feet, knees, hip, back, roll. Crammed tightly, the pack is stuffed with my anxieties, fears--and army-issued parachute. It is secured to my chest with strings and clasps. It hold my heart in place, should it try to break free. When the time is right, I will yank the cord. At that moment, the pack will open. My fears will rise to the dome of my chute, where they will hover. And for a mo...more
Jennifer Wardrip
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you were required to serve two years in the military once you've turned 18?

Aggie's eighteenth birthday is approaching, and as a teen in Israel, she must serve her time in the Israel Defense Force. Aggie doesn't want a boring job stuck in an office filing paperwork for two years. So she decides to try for a combat unit.

Aggie's mother is scared and sees her as weak, her f...more
Arya
Arya rated it 5 of 5 stars
Military presence is a very strong factor for young Israelis. Brothers, sisters, boyfriends, and besties are pulled into compulsory service as soon as they finish high school. But not everyone has to be a fighter. Aggie's mother would have her doing something in an office, cool and safe, but Aggie, a dancer, isn't sure she wants to spend the next two years of her life doing paperwork. The only person who encourages Aggie is her bestfriend Shira's brother Noah. As Aggie's feelings change for Noah...more
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed reading Freefall. From the get go Anna captured my attention with her vivid descriptions of the sites and sounds of Israel, from the sweltering heat in the country, to the sites and sounds of the city, mixed in with the descriptions of the smells of spices and baked goods. It's not very often I have the chance to read such a realistic book, set in the country of Israel and narrated by a strong female character who wants to be apart of an elite Isr...more
Simcha Lazarus
Freefall is a sweet coming-of-age story about a teenager girl who struggles to define herself and find her place in the world in a country where kids are forced to face adult responsibilities at an early age. This is a story that will resonate with anyone who remembers the uncertainties and awkwardness of being a teenager, despite the foreign setting of the story.

Aggie is a strong and likable heroine who is easily believable and is surrounded by a colorful cast of side characters who a...more
Michelle
Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2010, ya, contemp, own
Don't let the cutesy cover fool you on this book.

As an 18 year-old girl living in Israel, Aggie is already gearing up for her two years required service in the Israeli army. Her parents are sure she'll make the 'smart' choice and opt for a safer position - hopefully somewhere way behind the scenes, pushing paper. But small, stubborn Aggie has other ideas. She wants to join a combat unit. No one seems to understand Aggie's bizarre choice - not her best friend Shira, who is hoping for ...more
Melissa
Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: youngadultlit
Aggie is an Isreali citizen and she is preparing to begin her complusory two years of service in the army. Her parents assume that she will take a nice, safe position where she can “use her brain.” Aggie has other plans, however, and decides to seek entrance into an elite female combat unit.

Aggie makes it through a grueling three day training, but just when she returns home, war breaks out between Isreal and Lebannon. Frustrated that she isn’t yet in a position to help, she goes n...more
Sarah-Greenbeanteenqueen
It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I found the story so engaging. The story seems to start right away, without much backstory about teens in Isreal and required military service, so I found myself doing some research online to understand the backstory more.
The plot makes it seem like the whole book will be about Aggie in the military, but only a small part takes place with Aggie in her combat unit. The story is more about Aggie growing up and deciding what to do now t...more
Melissa
Aggie Jacobs doesn't look like the type of girl who would choose a combat unit for her required military service in the Israeli army, but that is exactly where she wants to be. She is small and definitely under the weight requirement, but she wants to be useful not stuck as a secretary in a military office somewhere. Most of all she wants to prove to herself and to everyone around her that she is stronger than she appears. Battling fatigue, challenging obstacles, and a relentless desert, Aggi
...more
Anne
Aggie lives in Jerusalem where it is mandatory that everyone, boys and girls alike, serve two years in the army when they turn 18. They are given some choice about what sector of the military they will serve in: entertainment, office, combat, Navy SEAL... although there is no guarantee they will be given what they choose. Aggie decides that it is important to her to prove herself and applies for a combat unit. While going through the testing and the period after, she learns a lot about hersel...more
Tatiana
Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Tatiana by: goodreads quiz
Shelves: young-adult
YA done right. everyone else should go back and rewrite their books. the language is realistic but not overly stupid and teenager-y. the story is a nice balance of serious real life and serious-at-the-time i-like-boys drama. i could have done without the prelude, especially since it seemed corny and clumsy (and therefore unlike the rest of the book). and, hell, the girl wants to be hardcore, i'm down with that. i also thought the book did a particularly good job of dealing with the fact tha...more
Sandra
Sandra added it
An eighteen-year-old Israeli girl decides to try out for a combat team for women as she prepares for her two year mandatory service in the army. She does very well in the training exercise to choose the young women for this elite team. Aggie needs to gain weight but she aces everything else. While she is waiting for the final word, has a romantic encounter with her best friend's brother. He is already serving in the army and involved in a flare-up in Lebanon. Life in a country surrounded by e...more
Diana
Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: read-in-2010
The story starts off with Abigail who has to decide what she wants to do in military service. She's trying to decide what she wants to do and what others want her to do. She has to go through many challenges before she understand what she wants to do and where she belongs.

Abigail was someone who knew what she had to do and didn't let others put her down. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy to accomplish what she wanted but that didn't mean that she just gave up. Her determina...more
Katieb (MundieMoms)
I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed reading Freefall. From the get go Anna captured my attention with her vivid descriptions of the sites and sounds of Israel, from the sweltering heat in the country, to the sites and sounds of the city, mixed in with the descriptions of the smells of spices and baked goods. It's not very often I have the chance to read such a realistic book, set in the country of Israel and narrated by a strong female character who wants to be apart of an elite Isr...more
Katie
Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: own
Freefall is a surprisingly good book and I was amazed at how quickly I got into it. I hadn't heard much about it before I picked it up and after reading it I honestly don't know why. This book needs to get some more attention. It's one of the best young adult books I have ever read and I don't think it has gotten the attention it deserves.

Aggie Jacobs is just about to start her time in the Israeli army and she has no idea what she wants to do. She could get a desk job like most peo...more
Abby Johnson
What would your life be like if military service was compulsory, not voluntary? For 18-year-old Aggie, life is pretty stressful. Sure, she's got the normal teen girls things going on - crushes on boys, hanging out with her best friend - but she's also trying to decide which military service to join. Will she be happy pushing pencils at a desk for the next two years? How about auditioning for the entertainment corps with her best friend? No... Aggie's got something different in mind: an elite com...more
GirlwiththeBraids
GirlwiththeBraids rated it 5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: Ages 12-16
Recommended to GirlwiththeBraids by: Harperteen First Look program
Freefall, by Anna Levine
5 out of 5 stars!

Eighteen-year-old Abigail Jacobs is faced with two years in compulsory military service in the Israeli Defense Force. She has to gain weight, leave her childhood friends, and abandon fear to get what she wants.

What’s worse is that her family doesn’t believe that she could do it. Her friends are dumb-founded. Why would she do something like this? Can’t she just work in an office?

When things start to play in the rig...more
Ana
Ana rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: young-adult
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was struck with how much uncertainty teens in Israel live with in regard to their future. When it's mandatory for all to join the military for a period of time, how do you make plans and choices about your future prospectives and your relationships with family, friends, and loves?

I thought the romantic elements in this story were great. Aggie and Noah spend so little time together during the course of the story but each interaction was satisfyin...more
Cheryl-Lynn
Fast fast read. Cute book with some lessons taught. What would it be like to live where military service was mandatory? I liked this a lot because I think of people living in Jerusalem as being like they are in the scriptures- lame of me I know. I think whenever I travel to other countries it is strange to think I am in a such and such country because everything seems so normal. This book gave a sense of "normal" life in Israel for an 18 year old girl. Nothing deep- but I enjoyed...more
Julie
Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars
Shelves: young-adult
This was an okay story, but I never felt like the characters came to life more than typical cardboard cutouts. It's set in Israel and is trying to be a love story mixed with a coming of age girl-power story, but didn't seem to quite do either one well.
*~Sammy~*
This book took me 5 hours to read cause I could not put it down! I kept reading and reading and finally I finished. This was one of the books that really got me into romantic books.
Jessi
Freefall was an interesting read because it is set in a place that I don't generally read much about - Modern Israel. It is essentially a coming of age story as the main character, Aggie, struggles to join an elite combat unit despite the fact that she is not physically the type who generally does so. Through her trials, she discovers a lot about her own physical strength as well as beginning to identify her personal beliefs. She makes new friends and rounds things out with a sweet romance. As a...more
Sommer Ann
For anyone who follows or is interested in the Isreali/Palestinian conflict, this book is a fascinating first person account of life in Isreal. Touching, realistic, and well-written.
Books4m
A very interesting story of a girls journey to find her courage before she enters the Israli army, she thought she had courage but when its really tested thats when we find out what where made of and who really care about.
flamingredmockingjays
VERY VERY VERY GOOD!!!!!
Aggie is a very likable and charismatic character. It is very real to watch her struggles. I wish it was longer.
Jess
Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars
Set in Israel, would be good to read to get some perspective on the Middle East.
Deborah
Young Adult Fiction.
Sydney
Sydney added it
Really interesting read--I only wished it were longer!
Chris Eboch
Chris Eboch marked it as to-read
Recommended to Chris by: chriseboch@blarg.net
An excerpt from American Library Association's review of Freefall: “Levine…writes with immediate, vivid detail… in this stirring…first-person present-tense narrative about cosmetics and kissing, as well as courage and conflict.” -- Booklist of the American Library Assn.
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