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23rd out of 51 books
—
63 voters
The Diary of Pelly D (City Five #1)
Toni V is a teenager working for the City Five demolition crew. While drilling through concrete he unearths a battered water can containing a parcel wrapped in faded brown paper. Though he's supposed to turn over anything he salvages, Toni V smuggles the package back to his room, unwraps it, and finds a notebook.
This is the diary of Pelly D. It's totally secret, so if you'...more
This is the diary of Pelly D. It's totally secret, so if you'...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
March 29th 2005
by Greenwillow Books
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Toni V, a young builder worker, finds a diary buried in a water can in the rubble of a construction site. He knows he should just hand it in to the Supervisor, but curiosity gets the better of him and he starts reading. At first the writer of the diary, Pelly D, seems like any ordinary girl, writing about clothes, parties, and boys. However, underneath the ordinary, Toni V begins to sense that something very sinister is unfolding. Set far in the future and on a distant planet, Pelly D's diary be...more
Dig -dig everywhere. Now who doesn't want to know what that's all about?
I found this in the public library a few years ago and picked it up because it sounded interesting. I loved the idea of someone finding an old diary and reading through it's secrets, especially having been an avid diary-keeper myself at the time.
This is likely the first "post-apocalyptic, dystopian" novel I ever read and the story still sticks with me to this day. (Thankfully Pelly has an original name, one that I remembered...more
I found this in the public library a few years ago and picked it up because it sounded interesting. I loved the idea of someone finding an old diary and reading through it's secrets, especially having been an avid diary-keeper myself at the time.
This is likely the first "post-apocalyptic, dystopian" novel I ever read and the story still sticks with me to this day. (Thankfully Pelly has an original name, one that I remembered...more
Jan 21, 2013
Lauren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Teenagers who want to try sci-fi for the first time.
Recommended to Lauren by:
School Library
This story and it's sequel, Cherry Heaven, was the first true sci-fi I ever read, and was pretty powerful in the sense that it was character driven, not driven by the ideas of the author of what the future would be like.
The clearest analogy of what this book is is The Diary of Anne Frank, post humanity leaving Earth.
It is however clearly a YA novel; the use of invisible genetic differences becoming the basis for discrimination could feel a bit on the nose for older readers. Even so the futuris...more
The clearest analogy of what this book is is The Diary of Anne Frank, post humanity leaving Earth.
It is however clearly a YA novel; the use of invisible genetic differences becoming the basis for discrimination could feel a bit on the nose for older readers. Even so the futuris...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
i read this book a while ago as an assigned read in english and because i've always loved reading, i - unlike everyone else in the class - actually read it... and despite my first thoughts i really liked it.
this is an interesting take on the future and how no matter what, as a whole, our values stay the same and we cannot eradicate racism or war, it'll always be there as society takes over and sets about a hierarchy. in this book it consists of: the Atsumisi (at the top), then the Mazzini, and a...more
this is an interesting take on the future and how no matter what, as a whole, our values stay the same and we cannot eradicate racism or war, it'll always be there as society takes over and sets about a hierarchy. in this book it consists of: the Atsumisi (at the top), then the Mazzini, and a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Text Summary
It is after the war and Toni V, a teenager working for City 5’s demolition crew, begins his drilling on the planet Home from Home. On this day of drilling, Toni V comes across a notebook hidden inside an old water can. The notebook turns out to be the diary of a teenager, Pelly D, who was living the privileged life before the war. However, when the war begins, a rivalry between the three “gene families” (the Atsumisi, the Galrezi, and the Mazzini) erupts, and everyone is forced to be...more
It is after the war and Toni V, a teenager working for City 5’s demolition crew, begins his drilling on the planet Home from Home. On this day of drilling, Toni V comes across a notebook hidden inside an old water can. The notebook turns out to be the diary of a teenager, Pelly D, who was living the privileged life before the war. However, when the war begins, a rivalry between the three “gene families” (the Atsumisi, the Galrezi, and the Mazzini) erupts, and everyone is forced to be...more
As L.J. Adlington's author biography states, her first novel, The Diary of Pelly D, is based on her long time interest in war diaries. The novel is told from the point of view of Tony V, a teenager working on the Citry Five demolition screw. During his work, he discovers the pure fluff of the diary of Pelly D, buried in the old city plaza. The people have already left Earth, and have moved on to a different planet. Technology has increased in remarkable ways, and we have fabricated gills. Pelly...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I think the problem with this book was that all the parts in it felt as if they were only half way finished. it felt like reading a draft with a few good ideas, but without the rest of what a book needs. The lead character petty much stays a nobody all the way through, and you don't really feel like you get under the skin of Pelly D either. that might have been okay, if the focus, as it tends to be in the science fiction genre, was on the futuristic universe of the novel. But that wasn't the cas...more
Nov 05, 2010
Brigid
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
High schoolers and up
Recommended to Brigid by:
VB Reads
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This title sort of pulls my opinions in two different directions. On one hand it
I found this book while browsing at my local library. i tried reading it once, and it seemed so trivial and unimportant. i returned it and forgot about it.
a year later, i saw it again and thought "what every happened to Pelly D after she got kicked out of her holo-pool and lost her street-side friend?" so i borrowed it again and read it through in a few hours.
i got a lot more out of it the second time, i'll say that much right away.
this book has a lot of hidden messages in it, and it's not somet...more
a year later, i saw it again and thought "what every happened to Pelly D after she got kicked out of her holo-pool and lost her street-side friend?" so i borrowed it again and read it through in a few hours.
i got a lot more out of it the second time, i'll say that much right away.
this book has a lot of hidden messages in it, and it's not somet...more
There's an old adage/cliche: "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
I think that is quite fitting for The Diary of Pelly D by LJ Adlington. First it came highly recommended by a patron, who insisted I move it to the top of my reading list. So I listened to her. And after the first few pages I was surprised that this was the book she was telling me I had to read. Pelly D is a shallow character, obsessed with money, boys, and popularity. Hmmm . . . maybe I judged this girl wrong and have been recommen...more
I think that is quite fitting for The Diary of Pelly D by LJ Adlington. First it came highly recommended by a patron, who insisted I move it to the top of my reading list. So I listened to her. And after the first few pages I was surprised that this was the book she was telling me I had to read. Pelly D is a shallow character, obsessed with money, boys, and popularity. Hmmm . . . maybe I judged this girl wrong and have been recommen...more
Toni V knows that he should turn it over, that’s what the Rules and Regulations state. He doesn’t even want to think about the trouble he could get in for taking something from the Demo Site. But his curiosity gets the better of him, and he smuggles it back to his room in the block and hiding it under his pillow where no one else can see it. Reading snippets when no one else is looking.
The Diary of Pelly D.
At first, Toni V thinks Pelly D seems a bit shallow and petty (but, he decides, most likel...more
The Diary of Pelly D.
At first, Toni V thinks Pelly D seems a bit shallow and petty (but, he decides, most likel...more
this book is about a oyoung 14 year old boy named Toni V, who stumbles onto Pelly d's diary. he know sthat he should turn it in to the people he works for but dosnt. he starts to read it. he soons gets consumed into her diary and could never put it down. somtimes he wished she had her life. she is a young rich girl. but tings start to happen to lead to wy Toni V is where he is at. what will he discover about the past? read to find out.
i can connect to Pelly D about not likeing the gene system....more
i can connect to Pelly D about not likeing the gene system....more
03/28 "This book is alright so far, but very confusing and I feel out of the loop. They dont tell me about the genetics or the city or the politics that she keeps ranting about so the book is extremely hard to follow, which would only change if Tony would elaborate. But, so far, so alright..."
04/02 "My Computer crashed and I was not able to dcument that I finished this book. argh. But anyways, with my awed tech savvy, I was able to save most of my files and fix it. But anyways, this book was gre...more
04/02 "My Computer crashed and I was not able to dcument that I finished this book. argh. But anyways, with my awed tech savvy, I was able to save most of my files and fix it. But anyways, this book was gre...more
Young adult literature - an excellent book for a discussion on the Holocaust. The novel is framed by the diary of Pelly D, interspersed with the life and reflections of Tony V, the young man who finds it.
From Amazon: A young driller breaking up rubble in war-devastated City Five unearths an old water can with a diary inside and then breaks Rules and Regulations by keeping it, rather than surrendering it to the authorities. So begins Toni V's relationship with the diarist, Pelly D, a teen who, be...more
From Amazon: A young driller breaking up rubble in war-devastated City Five unearths an old water can with a diary inside and then breaks Rules and Regulations by keeping it, rather than surrendering it to the authorities. So begins Toni V's relationship with the diarist, Pelly D, a teen who, be...more
This book is a book that has to do in two different worlds and with different characters. In the first chapter Pelly D would be writing in her diary. While in the next chapter you would be reading what a boy thinks about the diary entries. At first when I read this book, I was confused and bored at the same time because it just talked about this young boy working and swimming in the pool. But then when i realized that there were two places I was surprised.
This book is about a girl called Pelly D...more
This book is about a girl called Pelly D...more
In some ways, I shouldn't have liked this book. The biggest being that there are crazy amounts of holes in the story that normally I wouldn't tolerate. I don't like books that make me infer what really happened, but in this case, the way the story was told, it makes sense that I don't know everything. The story goes back and forth between the thoughts of Toni V and him reading the diary of Pelly D. Because of this format, the holes should be there. Allow me to explain: Pelly D was not among thos...more
Wow, sogar für ein postapokalyptisches YA-Buch war das hier emotional starker Tobak.
Ich musste ja früher zwei Schicksalsbücher über den Holocaust lesen, "Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank" und "Damals war es Friedrich" - und genau diesen Stoff greift das Buch auf.
Jedem Deutschlehrer würde ich dieses Buch für die Leseliste empfehlen, denn es ist ansprechend und gut zu diskutieren, finde ich.
Was etwas mühsam war, war der Schreibstil ("&", dieses Zeichen hat einfach meinen Lesefluss gestört) und dass...more
Ich musste ja früher zwei Schicksalsbücher über den Holocaust lesen, "Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank" und "Damals war es Friedrich" - und genau diesen Stoff greift das Buch auf.
Jedem Deutschlehrer würde ich dieses Buch für die Leseliste empfehlen, denn es ist ansprechend und gut zu diskutieren, finde ich.
Was etwas mühsam war, war der Schreibstil ("&", dieses Zeichen hat einfach meinen Lesefluss gestört) und dass...more
A SF book set sometime in the future. Humans have left the planet earth and have colonized a new world. This new start was supposed to have eliminated all the previous problems wrought by humankind. In this new world there would be no more wars, conflict or discrimination. Tragically this is not the case. The story unfolds as a young laborer is one of the workers who is cleaning up the debris following a war. He finds a hidden diary written by a young girl. Whenever he gets a break from work he...more
I must give credit for the extremely futuristic and creative justice the author, Adlington, gave to this book. It was ingenious. However, the novel itself lacked the ability to keep my attention. I drudged through the last couple of chapters and ended stopping on page 98 of the 282. I must admit to being curious about the ending, however, I've much too much on my plate and cannot tolerate another novel that may leave me wondering why I wasted my time reading it. Therefore, if this cannot keep my...more
Go Pelly and Marek! (Most awesome but unexpected pairing ever)
I loved The Diary of Pelly D. You wanna know why? Keep reading!
I think my most favorite thing in the book was Marek. He is awesome. And the way Pelly describes him, I yearn for him too... *Bookworm covers face in embarassment*
The one thing that could've made this book even more better was deleting Toni V out of the whole book and making it all a journal, but since L. J. Adlington wanted to, oh well. I'll cope with it.
The plot is amazi...more
I loved The Diary of Pelly D. You wanna know why? Keep reading!
I think my most favorite thing in the book was Marek. He is awesome. And the way Pelly describes him, I yearn for him too... *Bookworm covers face in embarassment*
The one thing that could've made this book even more better was deleting Toni V out of the whole book and making it all a journal, but since L. J. Adlington wanted to, oh well. I'll cope with it.
The plot is amazi...more
When Toni V finds Pelly D's diary, he accepts that back-breaking labor and single gender worker dormitories are pretty much normal life. (Well, as normal as humanoids sporting gills and needing vast amounts of under-water time every day can be). What Pelly D shows him through her diary is a life that existed before the gene-mapping project robbed her of the luxuries she'd become accustomed to by virtue of wealth and popularity. Those of you familiar with race issues in 20th century America will...more
This was a good read recommended to me by my 14 year old daughter. She did a book report on it for school. Yes it reads a lot like The Diary of Anne Frank but it focuses on a new generation.
In the future the human species has ventured out into space and found life on a new planet. They have also recreated humanity in a test tube. We follow the life of a young somewhat spoiled teenage girl from normal everyday life through the tragedy of a holocaust of her type of human in a world originally cre...more
In the future the human species has ventured out into space and found life on a new planet. They have also recreated humanity in a test tube. We follow the life of a young somewhat spoiled teenage girl from normal everyday life through the tragedy of a holocaust of her type of human in a world originally cre...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In my last month of working for the Census when I needed something different to read. Megan at Posey Sessions suggested The Diary of Pelly D by L. J. Adlington. I'm glad she did.
This dystopian homage to The Diary of Anne Frank opens with Toni V. finding a diary while he's digging at a construction site. He's supposed to turn in anything he finds but decides to keep the diary. Every night after work when he's back at the flop house style dormitory, he reads from Pelly D's diary.
Pelly and Toni's s...more
This dystopian homage to The Diary of Anne Frank opens with Toni V. finding a diary while he's digging at a construction site. He's supposed to turn in anything he finds but decides to keep the diary. Every night after work when he's back at the flop house style dormitory, he reads from Pelly D's diary.
Pelly and Toni's s...more
I tried to read this book a few years ago, but couldn't seem to get past the first couple of pages. Once again, this was a difficult book for me to get into. It took me at least a day and a half to read the first thiry pages or so. After I was into it, it became an easier read because I was curious to see what happened to Pelly D. and Toni V. Adlington created a new world for her readers, but failed to establish it. She threw out some hints here and there for the reader to pick up, but it was st...more
Wow! What a good book! It sat on my shelf for awhile, but once I picked it up I could hardly put it down!!! Matter of fact, after I finished it, I picked up the sequel and am having problems pulling myself away from it!
On the surface, this book is a sci-fi story that has been told over and over. People emigrate from earth to start a new community where war is a non-issue and peace thrives. There will be minimal pollution, the people will be carefully adapted to the land, and everyone will be tre...more
On the surface, this book is a sci-fi story that has been told over and over. People emigrate from earth to start a new community where war is a non-issue and peace thrives. There will be minimal pollution, the people will be carefully adapted to the land, and everyone will be tre...more
L. J. Adlington is the author of The Diary of Pelly D, which was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She graduated from Cambridge University, and has lived and worked in Japan and Spain. She now lives in York, England, where she teaches hands-on history lessons for museums, schools, and historical sites.
More about L.J. Adlington...
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Mar 22, 2012 03:40pm