Winner of the inaugural Chicken House/London Times Children's Fiction Competition, which called it "a funny, clever, towering adventure."It's the ...
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Oct 26, 2011
Liberty
rated it: 
What’s Good About It
I’m on a bit of a Dystopia kick at the moment. What with Hunger Games and Uglies and writing my own Dystopian future novel, I’m demolishing any YA novel with a hint of Future Gone to Hell. Naturally, when I saw this on the shelf in the library, I couldn’t resist. Despite having an already substantial reading list of my own books…
And it didn’t disappoint.
Generally I think there are two kinds of Dystopia – technology gone crazy like Uglies, o More...
I’m on a bit of a Dystopia kick at the moment. What with Hunger Games and Uglies and writing my own Dystopian future novel, I’m demolishing any YA novel with a hint of Future Gone to Hell. Naturally, when I saw this on the shelf in the library, I couldn’t resist. Despite having an already substantial reading list of my own books…
And it didn’t disappoint.
Generally I think there are two kinds of Dystopia – technology gone crazy like Uglies, o More...
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Dec 05, 2010
Sarah
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The first shelf I always check at the library is the recommended reads shelf in the children's wing. I have yet to be disappointed by what the staff have put there. My latest find this way is Raiders' Ransom by Emily Diamand, a near future young adult dystopian set in what remains of the flooded British isles.
The book begins with the raid on an outlying village and news that the Prime Minister's daughter has been kidnapped. Lilly's village is blamed and she feels like she has to do s More...
The book begins with the raid on an outlying village and news that the Prime Minister's daughter has been kidnapped. Lilly's village is blamed and she feels like she has to do s More...
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Oct 26, 2011
The Sweet Bookshelf
rated it: 
Flood Child has a Twelfth Night kind of feeling to it. A girl cuts her hair off and pretends to be a boy to safe her village. I waited 200 pages for something to actually happen. It was good though. I enjoyed the story, even though at times there were things happening that didn't fit with the story I felt. I really wanted there to be a romantic aspect with Lilly and Zeph, and it seemed like there might be. Yet there wasn't. I'm just a sucker for anything romantic. Cute book. Could have been an a
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Nov 29, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
In the future world there was massive flooding and most of England is under water. Lily is a fisher girl in a small village. She has a loyal sea cat who helps her navigate the oceans and a loving grandmother. That all changes when raiders attack their village. Lily’s grandmother is killed and the Prime Ministers daughter is kidnapped from her aunt’s house. The Prime Minster conscripts all the young men into the navy to strike back against the raiders. He also threatens to hang anyone he thi
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Aug 24, 2011
Ashley
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 13, 2010
Arya
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Lilly is a fisher-girl with more than her fair share of problems. To begin with raiders have just come and killed her grandmother, on top of that her best friend is about to be drafted, she has been landed with a talking puter who seems to think that he needs to get "teknical service", her entire village is trying to marry her off to Lun - a boy who has always hated her, she has a seacat that everyone else would kill for, the ambassador for Greater Scotland thinks she knows things she
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Mar 03, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Set in a post-apocalyptic England, Lilly Melkun has a fairly ordinary life. Each day, she and her seacat go out fishing and come back to a home-cooked supper that Granny has made. One day, however, when she returns home, she discovers the village has been ransacked by raiders, the visiting Prime Minister's daughter has been kidnapped, and Granny has been killed.
Angry at the villagers for not retaliating against the raiders, the Prime More...
Set in a post-apocalyptic England, Lilly Melkun has a fairly ordinary life. Each day, she and her seacat go out fishing and come back to a home-cooked supper that Granny has made. One day, however, when she returns home, she discovers the village has been ransacked by raiders, the visiting Prime Minister's daughter has been kidnapped, and Granny has been killed.
Angry at the villagers for not retaliating against the raiders, the Prime More...
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Nov 23, 2009
Rachael
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At first glance, Lilly Melkun appears an ordinary girl from an ordinary fishing village in the Last Ten Counties of England. But her spunk and trusty seacat set her apart as someone special. When Lilly’s village is attacked by raiders and the prime minister’s daughter is kidnapped, Lilly takes it upon herself to save the poor girl. She feels it’s the least she can do to help since the prime minister blames her village for the disappearance of his daughter and has forced all able bodied men and b
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Nov 03, 2010
Jackie
rated it:
Raider's Ransom is a swashbuckling, high-seas, fight-to-the-death adventure story set in 23rd Century Great Britain. After global changes become disastrous to low-lying areas, much of England has fallen in the waters...what is left is a scant 'Last 10 Counties of England', Greater Scotland, and marauding band of pirating Raiders on the open seas. People declared that technology was to blame and all nearly all computers had been destroyed.
In 2216, Lilly Melkun's village has been raided More...
In 2216, Lilly Melkun's village has been raided More...
May 07, 2010
Becky
rated it:
maybe 3.5 stars
An exciting adventure story with a slight science fiction component.
An environmental disaster in the 23rd century, presumably set into motion by global climate change, has left much of England underwater. In this post-apocalyptic world, technology is seen as the evil culprit and life has reverted to an 18th century existence for survivors in the Last Ten Counties of England. Others who escaped the Collapse have splintered into hostile groups of marauders that rai More...
An exciting adventure story with a slight science fiction component.
An environmental disaster in the 23rd century, presumably set into motion by global climate change, has left much of England underwater. In this post-apocalyptic world, technology is seen as the evil culprit and life has reverted to an 18th century existence for survivors in the Last Ten Counties of England. Others who escaped the Collapse have splintered into hostile groups of marauders that rai More...
Feb 20, 2010
Jess
rated it:
This is a hard book to categorize: it's set in the future with some light science fiction elements - I'll let you discover those for yourself - but the feel is more of a futuristic pirate adventure. There's a fair amount of action, some laughs, some fun with technology. The characters are engaging, although the most memorable character isn't even human (and no, I'm not talking about Cat).
The alternating points of view - between a girl and a boy - are nicely done. It's always eas More...
The alternating points of view - between a girl and a boy - are nicely done. It's always eas More...
Nov 19, 2010
Elfiegirl
rated it:
I don't, honestly, care for futuristic books. Usually thinking of the future makes me feel anxious and worried about, i don't know, technology taking over the world.
I felt right at home when i began reading it. Fishing, oceans, cats, boats, and a sweet girl named Lily... what more could you ask for? And then tragedy took over, and then it began to get strange and out of place. It was like a mix of past, present, and future, which is an interesting style for science-fiction lovers, (i'm sor More...
I felt right at home when i began reading it. Fishing, oceans, cats, boats, and a sweet girl named Lily... what more could you ask for? And then tragedy took over, and then it began to get strange and out of place. It was like a mix of past, present, and future, which is an interesting style for science-fiction lovers, (i'm sor More...
Jul 04, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
Wow! Here's another post-apocalyptic tale that seems at first glance to be based several centuries ago. The heroine Lilly returns from fishing with her seacat Cat to find that raiders have attacked the village, killed her grandmother, and kidnapped the daughter of the Prime Minister, presumably for a ransom. But the story quickly changes once Lilly accidentally overhears someone conducting a conversation by cellphone and discovers a computer, which she, of course, has no idea how to use. Lilly's
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Jun 28, 2011
Anne
rated it:
It is the 23rd century and much of the world has been flooded. Scotland has taken over much of England, with only 10 counties remaining in England itself. Raiders are a constant threat; technology is blamed for much of the destruction and most of it has been lost.
Lilly was out fishing with her seacat when Raiders invaded her village and kidnapped the Prime Minister's daughter. When she realizes that the Prime Minister intends to punish her village, she sets out to rescue the girl. More...
Lilly was out fishing with her seacat when Raiders invaded her village and kidnapped the Prime Minister's daughter. When she realizes that the Prime Minister intends to punish her village, she sets out to rescue the girl. More...
Apr 27, 2011
B
rated it:
Good adventure for upper elementary and YA
23th century Great Britain
Thirteen year old Lilly and her seacat return home from fishing to find her village has been pillaged and her granny killed. Word is that the raiders were looking for her seacat, a rare and valuable commodity to fishermen. During the raid the Prime Minister’s young daughter is kidnapped. In his anger the PM conscripts all the men including her friend Andy to fight the raiders.
Lilly decides tha More...
23th century Great Britain
Thirteen year old Lilly and her seacat return home from fishing to find her village has been pillaged and her granny killed. Word is that the raiders were looking for her seacat, a rare and valuable commodity to fishermen. During the raid the Prime Minister’s young daughter is kidnapped. In his anger the PM conscripts all the men including her friend Andy to fight the raiders.
Lilly decides tha More...
Dec 29, 2009
Katie
rated it:
If you love pirates, this is the book for you! Raiders' Ransom was a wonderful tale full of raiders, ransoms, and tons of mishaps. I know it probably wasn't meant to be as funny as I found it but there were times when I couldn't help but laugh. =]
Raiders' Ransom is the story of Lilly Melkun and how she tries to save her village. After raiders kidnap the prime minister's daughter, things go horribly wrong for her small fishing village. She knows that she is the only one left who could More...
Raiders' Ransom is the story of Lilly Melkun and how she tries to save her village. After raiders kidnap the prime minister's daughter, things go horribly wrong for her small fishing village. She knows that she is the only one left who could More...
Oct 02, 2011
Alison
rated it:
I won the second one in the series from Scholastic, so I thought I should read the first. I understand and appreciate the grammer coming from an uneducated futuristic 13-year-old, but the Mother/educator in me is cringing! I am liking the story so far, but little background is being given as to what caused the Collapse of London and as of yet nothing is said about the rest of the world.
The book ended with several unanswered questions, which were either too hard to answer, or More...
Jul 20, 2011
Elvia
rated it:
Such an interesting book. It is written as a children's book and it's an award winner to boot. It has to do with a post Collapse world where the world was once more swallowed by water. In this world, fishing is valued above all else and computers are rendered obsolete. But there are raiders who don't necessarily fish and Lilly Melkun finds herself, escaping marriage; trying to save her village; going after a young girl who was kidnapped and making friends with raiders. The same dangerous ra
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Feb 03, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
Lilly lives in a poor fishing village, and finds her world turned upside down when the Prime Minister's daughter is kidnapped, and her village is blamed. She sets out on her own with only her sea cat and a slightly annoying talking jewel as her companions to find the girl and clear her village's good name.
Told in alternating chapters from both Lilly's point of view and that of Zeph, a member of the elite "Family" whole befriends her this is an intriguing look at what extreme cl More...
Told in alternating chapters from both Lilly's point of view and that of Zeph, a member of the elite "Family" whole befriends her this is an intriguing look at what extreme cl More...
Mar 07, 2010
Ellen
rated it:
I wanted to love this book! It starts out strongly, with interesting characters and an intriguing premise. However, I didn't feel that the premise was well-defined; there were references to the "Collapse," apparently resulting from flooding caused by global warming. How the different social factions developed was unclear, and why some aeas had resorted to violent pillaging, others to subsistence fishing and farming, and others kept technological advances. What finally destroyed the
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Mar 10, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Eh. This tale of a futuristic England, post-climate collapse started off interesting, but devolved with (for me) unbelievable elements. Diamand went to pains to create a beautifully rendered fishing village under attack, but it all went to pieces when the computer head appeared. This threw off the tone of the novel and made me a little disoriented. The melding of technology with a traditional, non-tech society didn't feel complete. I also got very confused between the two narrators' voices
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Jan 05, 2010
Alex
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It's been awhile since I read a book in two days (though I can think of two very good reasons) but I just devoured Raiders' Ransom. Not only did it have a map in the beginning, which while helpful was under utilized, a girl and her sea-cat who reads the tides and currents, pirates or raiders, angry townsfolk and the English Navy, but it also was set in a flooded England after the Collapse. Your basic quest story, Lilly leaves to go find the raiders who took a girl from her village. Very colo
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Jan 29, 2012
"La subida del nivel del mar y las fuertes tormentas han causado estragos en la Humanidad, que se ha visto obligada a abandonar la tecnología y vivir sobre las ruinas de una civilización más avanzada. Lo que antes era Inglaterra ahora se divide en la Gran Escocia, los diez últimos condados y una serie de familias de piratas: los saqueadores. Lilly tiene trece años. Un gato de mar la eligió como dueña y su sueño es tener un barco propio y salir a pescar con Andy, su mejor amigo. Una maña
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Nov 27, 2011
Leaf
rated it:
Raiders Ransome is about this girl named Lilly and she lives in the 23rd centuary.And in the 23rd centuary all the glaciers on earth have melted and cities have been buried under the water.There are no more computers and no technology left.Lilly and her cat Cat live in one of the last ten countries.
One day while the prime ministers daugter was visiting her village raiders from the west raid her village, kill her grandmother, and take the prime ministers daugter!The prime minister blames he More...
One day while the prime ministers daugter was visiting her village raiders from the west raid her village, kill her grandmother, and take the prime ministers daugter!The prime minister blames he More...
Nov 12, 2011
Dan
rated it:
My first venture this school year into the realm of Science Fiction, written by Emily Diamand, is quite different from any other books I've ever read in this genre. The setting for this story is 23rd century England. The countries of England and Scotland in this story look quite different, geographically, than they do today. Most of the island we presently know as Great Britain is now part of Scotland. The remainder of the island is either under water or is inhabited by Englishmen who call t
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Aug 16, 2010
Starkville Public Library
rated it:
It's the 22nd century, and much of the world is under water. Technology was blamed for the collapse, and now there are no "modern" conveniences in the Last Ten Counties of England. Lilly lives in one of the fishing villages in England; she operates a small fishing boat with the help of her seacat, Cat. She hopes to earn enough to get a larger boat and make a living with her best friend Andy. But everything goes horribly wrong when raiders attack her village, killing her grandmother an
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Jan 29, 2012
Sarah
rated it:
23rd-Century England is much different from the England we know today; much of the land has been flooded, Scotland’s lands have been extended, and technology is something no one knows about anymore. Raiders looking for more wealth and power come to Lilly’s village and kidnap the Prime Minister’s daughter Lexy as a ransom. When the Prime Minister learns this, he blames the people of the village; he rounds up all able-bodied men to fight for him, leaving the young and old men in prison. Lilly t
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Jun 11, 2010
Kate
rated it:
Raiders' Ransom takes place in a world that reverts back to a pre-Industrial Revolution way of life due to the Collapse. This catastrophic event has caused much of England to be underwater, Scotland is now a great power, and to top it all off... there are pirates!
The story centers around Lilly and her very adorable seacat, Cat. Upon her village being attacked by raiders (pirates), she discovers that her life as been turned upside down with the people in her village now believed to be More...
The story centers around Lilly and her very adorable seacat, Cat. Upon her village being attacked by raiders (pirates), she discovers that her life as been turned upside down with the people in her village now believed to be More...
Dec 06, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
Sometimes you just want to read a book that starts off with a bang and then proceeds to run its legs off. A book that's able to work realistic emotions and characters into a narrative, while also advertising high-concept plotting. And if that same book just happens to contain preternaturally intelligent felines, snarky computers, futuristic barbarians, and a world underwater, all the better! Debut novelist Emily Diamand comes out swinging with such a book as that. Raiders' Ransom is a post-apoca
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Oct 26, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Reaver's Ransom is set 200 years in the future, after England is almost completely flooded due to global warming made the sea levels rise. England is populated by the 'English' - mainly fisher folk who live in poverty and fear the Prime Minister. Their sworn enemies are the 'Reavers' - a pirate-like group of people who are barely civilised and not recognised by the Government. Scotland is now known as 'Greater Scotland' and is largely unaffected by the changes - having technology and a more c
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