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97th out of 558 books
—
466 voters
Shelter Me
by
Alex McAulay
Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends Maggie to a remote boarding school in coastal Wales, supposedly to keep her safe, but also to keep her in line. The school is creepy, the headmistress is a lunatic, and the students ran...more
Paperback, 274 pages
Published
January 6th 2009
by MTV Books
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Shelter Me was, quite possibly, one of the WORST YA novels I have ever read. The premise of this book had you thinking it was going to be a gripping historical WWII novel told through the eyes of a young protagonist. The synopsis was the best part of the story and was the most misleading to the reader.
The writing was poorly done, and not in the sense of writing skills, but in the sense of putting characters in the correct settings. Neither the characters nor the dialog fit into the period of WW...more
The writing was poorly done, and not in the sense of writing skills, but in the sense of putting characters in the correct settings. Neither the characters nor the dialog fit into the period of WW...more
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Shelter Me was an amazing book that had me sitting on the edge of my chair the whole time. I loved the mix of historical fiction, one crazy boarding school, and a scary and creepy journey to escape evil. Alex Mcaulay's writing excellent in the sense that I could feel what Maggie was going through and it was really descriptive. Also, I really liked the plot and world he developed. I was constantly wondering if Maggie and her friends would escape and be free. Though, every time that I thought they...more
This was one of those books that I liked enough to keep reading until the end but when I got to the end, I was less than thrilled. Especially after finding that deus ex machina in the last chapter. But I'll get to that in a second.
I wasn't thrilled with the writing. I didn't connect with any of the characters, especially Maggie, which isn't a good position to be in. Plus I felt like this American author kept constantly trying to assert how much he knew about British culture that little drops lik...more
I wasn't thrilled with the writing. I didn't connect with any of the characters, especially Maggie, which isn't a good position to be in. Plus I felt like this American author kept constantly trying to assert how much he knew about British culture that little drops lik...more
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Okay, so first things first .... my last name is McAulay ... the author's last name is McAulay ... is this a mere coincidence? Of course not! So, I'm completely biased! So, you can't take my review that this book is great without bearing that in mind. But I'm sure it doesn't hurt to tell you a little bit about the history of the book.
Alex has written three other teen thrillers, all dealing with issues of extraordinary circumstances that force characters to grow and survive. All of those books (B...more
Alex has written three other teen thrillers, all dealing with issues of extraordinary circumstances that force characters to grow and survive. All of those books (B...more
This was a really bizarre book--the kind of book where you know something weird's going on but you're not sure what, and it keeps getting increasingly creepy.
I'm going to stick with the synopsis from the back, because I think it's more fun if you have no idea what's going on (I was clueless; you can be too).
"Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends...more
I'm going to stick with the synopsis from the back, because I think it's more fun if you have no idea what's going on (I was clueless; you can be too).
"Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends...more
I had such high hopes for this book. I read the blurb online and immediately had to have it so it actually saddened me when I didn’t like it. Like, at all.
Could my expectations being so high have influenced that? No question. But regardless of that the reality of the matter is the book fell short for a variety of reasons outside of that.
The first being that the story was fairly predictable. I can think of only one element (and giving the author his due it was a very big element) that actually ca...more
Could my expectations being so high have influenced that? No question. But regardless of that the reality of the matter is the book fell short for a variety of reasons outside of that.
The first being that the story was fairly predictable. I can think of only one element (and giving the author his due it was a very big element) that actually ca...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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First of all, I read this when I was in fifth grade. FIFTH GRADE!!! And it changed me. A lot.
All in all, I suppose it's not too bad but still. And when you look at the cover and read the blurb, you think "Well, sounds alright."
In short, you feel that it might be alright to give to your 10 year-old avid reader who's been reading YA books for a year.
WRONG!
Maybe if I read it again now, I'd enjoy it. Maybe.
Yeah, I don't think so.
Note: I did not post this to be offensive in any way. But seriously...more
All in all, I suppose it's not too bad but still. And when you look at the cover and read the blurb, you think "Well, sounds alright."
In short, you feel that it might be alright to give to your 10 year-old avid reader who's been reading YA books for a year.
WRONG!
Maybe if I read it again now, I'd enjoy it. Maybe.
Yeah, I don't think so.
Note: I did not post this to be offensive in any way. But seriously...more
This book came highly recommended, but I was disappointed. Maggie Leigh barely survives a blitz bombing of London, only to have her mother send her off to a lonely Welsh village where she finds that she is to attend a religious boarding school that turns out to be little more than a prison. After an encounter with a fugitive German soldier, she escapes with two friends, picking up a baby and a fleeing rich girl along the way. They hitchhike and jump onto a rolling train, witnessing horrifying ev...more
Jun 27, 2012
Lenore Appelhans
added it
In the midst of WWII and after surviving a bomb raid that puts her beloved aunt in a coma, Maggie is sent away from London and ends up at a remote, religious school in Wales. Maggie soon discovers that no part of the country is untouched by the evil and danger that war brings in its wake.
Shelter Me has a lot going for it: A clever, twisty, and unpredictable plot that held my interest throughout, a foreboding atmosphere and a cast of memorably bizarre characters.
Normally it would bother me more t...more
Shelter Me has a lot going for it: A clever, twisty, and unpredictable plot that held my interest throughout, a foreboding atmosphere and a cast of memorably bizarre characters.
Normally it would bother me more t...more
I have to say, when I first started reading Shelter Me, I had a vague reminiscence of The School for Dangerous Girls except it was for religion rather than violent girls. It completely baffled me and shocked me once I got into it. Underneath it all, there’s a diabolical plan that you would have never figured it out until the ending. It was so intricate, so completely well done that it took me a few minutes to wrap my head around it. The ending itself, however, was dull but it didn’t take away fr...more
It took me three hours in one sitting to finish Shelter Me. Yes, it was that good. This is the second book this week that I've read about a boarding school run be lunatics. Unlike the first novel Shelter Me was well written and had well developed characters.
Shelter Me starts off with a boom (no pun intended) and never really slows down. The whole atmosphere of London during World War II was very authentic. I did not once question the struggles that Maggie when through. I really felt Maggie's de...more
Shelter Me starts off with a boom (no pun intended) and never really slows down. The whole atmosphere of London during World War II was very authentic. I did not once question the struggles that Maggie when through. I really felt Maggie's de...more
Synopsis
Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends Maggie to a remote boarding school in coastal Wales, supposedly to keep her safe, but also to keep her in line. The school is creepy, the headmistress is a lunatic, and the students range from spoiled rich girls to speechless trauma victims. But when a tragic accident happens on the beach, Maggie and...more
Maggie Leigh just wants to be a normal teenager, but when German bombs tear apart London during World War II, her ultra-religious mother sees the destruction as divine punishment. She sends Maggie to a remote boarding school in coastal Wales, supposedly to keep her safe, but also to keep her in line. The school is creepy, the headmistress is a lunatic, and the students range from spoiled rich girls to speechless trauma victims. But when a tragic accident happens on the beach, Maggie and...more
So this was a 3 even a 3.5 until the last 25 pages. It is like riding on a train and everything is going along and then the train becomes a submarine. It completely veers off and you have no idea what the hell was going on. Plus the veering off makes some HUGE plot holes big enough to drive a submarine through. Save your time don’t read this even though the cover is great, the premise interesting, and the mystery engaging until the derailing.
I really enjoyed this book and it was a plus that it was written by my all-time favorite writer. I didn't give it a 5 because the ending sucked because it was a bad beginning/happy ending kind of story and I prefer my books to end with some kind of twist, know what I mean? Anyways besides the ending, this book was pretty good I highly recommend it.
Shelter Me is a keep-you-on-your-toes-from-beginning-to-end kind of book. There were numerous moments where I was just totally flabbergasted. This is the first book to completely shock me like that!
Maggie is a very determined girl, but her mom believes she's corrupted, so she sends her off to a boarding school in Wales. But strange things are happening at the school, so Maggie and a couple friends leave to travel somewhere else. Being in the middle of a war, it isn't the best idea for girls to b...more
Maggie is a very determined girl, but her mom believes she's corrupted, so she sends her off to a boarding school in Wales. But strange things are happening at the school, so Maggie and a couple friends leave to travel somewhere else. Being in the middle of a war, it isn't the best idea for girls to b...more
Quote from WORD for Teens:
My tendency to cover-whore and the plot line gave me hope for this book - it sounded really good, and the character, from the description, actually reminded me of Bloody Jack.
Oh, how wrong I was.
To read the full review, click here.
My tendency to cover-whore and the plot line gave me hope for this book - it sounded really good, and the character, from the description, actually reminded me of Bloody Jack.
Oh, how wrong I was.
To read the full review, click here.
This one was surprisingly bad. The author has a tin ear for the language of 1940s Britain, despite holding a PhD in British literature and having parents who grew up there. The plot manages to be both trivial and sensationalistic. Character development -- forget about it. My thought upon reaching the final plot twist: "That was it? Seriously?"
To be completely honest I did not think I was going to finish this book. The beginning was slow and had yet to capture my interest. I decided to read on in hopes that a book with such a killer cover wouldn't be murder on the inside. Was I ever glad I kept reading! This book went from mediocre to incredible. I highly recommend this book and promise you won't be disappointed.
This book was a bit dry at the beginning. I had a hard time forcing myself to read through the middle. The ending got a lot better, however I feel that it was given somewhat of a lame ending. Things didn't really start to get wrapped up until the last 5 pages or so of the book.
This book is everything I wanted it to be. Page by page I couldn't wait to see what happened next and what happened in the end was beyond anything I could have expected.
I probably stopped reading this one way too soon, but I just could not force myself to keep going, especially when I have a towering stack of books at home...
The book promised twists and turns, it didn't say that they were too contrived. At least it read fast....
Amazing book, I couldn't put it down; I loved every page and I would definitely recommend.
Reading this was like having a fever dream. Confusing, intense, panic-inducing and nonsensical.
tje reason why this only got 3 stars: it's pretty normal and normal paced until you get to the last few pages and it all gets really icky! brothels, selling young virgin girls, nasty nuns that burn their own faces.
Surprisingly good! Kinda weird before the ending but happy ending :)
I would have liked it less, but I only paid $2 for it!
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Alex McAulay was born in Seattle, but grew up in Dallas, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. He is the author of four novels, including Shelter Me and Bad Girls, which is in development as a feature film. Alex is a graduate of Brown University, and currently lives in Santa Monica with his wife Lisa.
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