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Thirteen
This edition is out of print.
At thirteen Jack wants to have fun with his friends but his mom's rules keep him grounded. One morning he wakes to machine gunfire and everything has changed. Foreign soldiers have invaded his hometown cutting off power, shutting down communications, and restricting travel. To make things worse he doesn't know if his dad is alive, wounded, captured, or dead. All he wants is to go into the city to find him, however his mother doesn't care, the soldiers are in his way and the cop that busted him before all this went down is no help at all.
At thirteen Jack wants to have fun with his friends but his mom's rules keep him grounded. One morning he wakes to machine gunfire and everything has changed. Foreign soldiers have invaded his hometown cutting off power, shutting down communications, and restricting travel. To make things worse he doesn't know if his dad is alive, wounded, captured, or dead. All he wants is to go into the city to find him, however his mother doesn't care, the soldiers are in his way and the cop that busted him before all this went down is no help at all.
- GenresYoung Adult
ebook
First published April 27, 2013
714 people want to read
About the author
Shannon L. Peel
10 books81 followersShannon Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family's root run deep. Growing up where television was either non existent or very limited she relied on books & imagination to escape into the world beyond.
She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.
After a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional. She currently resides in BC's Lower Mainland with her two teenage children.
THIRTEEN is her debut full size paperback novel. She also is the author of an adult fantasy series, JOURNIES IN ELADONIA, consisting of ebook novellas.
She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.
After a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional. She currently resides in BC's Lower Mainland with her two teenage children.
THIRTEEN is her debut full size paperback novel. She also is the author of an adult fantasy series, JOURNIES IN ELADONIA, consisting of ebook novellas.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 3, 2015
What would you do if you woke up one morning to find that your city had been invaded by foreign soldiers and the power, phone connections and internet turned off and travel restricted, isolating you from the rest of the world?
This is exactly what happens to 13 year old Jack in this YA novel from Shannon Peel. He lives in a small town, outside Vancouver near the Canadian/USA border. Without any communication they have no idea what's going on in the outside world or whether anyone will come to rescue them. Jack and his friends worry about how they are going to survive without heating or food and water until then. Jack also worries about his divorced father living in Vancouver and is not happy that his mother is spending time with one of the town cops.
This first book in a new trilogy sets the scene for what is to come next in this suspenseful adventure. There is a sense of danger and unease as no one knows what the foreign army has planned for them. Hopefully the author will not keep her readers in suspense too long and release the next episode soon!
With thanks to Shannon Peel for an ecopy of the book to read and review
This is exactly what happens to 13 year old Jack in this YA novel from Shannon Peel. He lives in a small town, outside Vancouver near the Canadian/USA border. Without any communication they have no idea what's going on in the outside world or whether anyone will come to rescue them. Jack and his friends worry about how they are going to survive without heating or food and water until then. Jack also worries about his divorced father living in Vancouver and is not happy that his mother is spending time with one of the town cops.
This first book in a new trilogy sets the scene for what is to come next in this suspenseful adventure. There is a sense of danger and unease as no one knows what the foreign army has planned for them. Hopefully the author will not keep her readers in suspense too long and release the next episode soon!
With thanks to Shannon Peel for an ecopy of the book to read and review
September 30, 2015
Legit Lit Books is hosting Thirteen for a book tour from Monday September 28th to Friday October 9th on www.legitlitbooks.com.
My original review can be found on Genuine Jenn
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I love that this story is set in Canada. It is set in Vancouver near the American border. I am Canadian and love stories set here. This is the first book I have read from Shannon Peel and was very pleased with the authors writing. It flowed really well together and the author developed the backdrop without over doing it. I will admit that Jack (the main character) got on my nerves sometimes but I just kept reminding myself that is what a thirteen year old boy is like. They are coming into their manhood and moving away from needing mom. Jack lives with his mom full time and only sees his dad, who moved into the city, every second weekend.
This book is one of my "broaden my genres" books and I was pretty impressed. I enjoyed it a lot. North Korea invades Canada and starts taking people to camps, the stadium and the arena depending on who they are. They ration food to the community and threaten to kill anyone who is caught with more food than they are allowed. Everyone has been given the rules and know the consequence for breaking them. With everything going on in the world today this story very well could be real. It is a YA novel and I would suggest it for 12 years and older because of the little violence in it. The are a few scenes when people are killed and Jack witnesses it.
The author had me hanging on to my kindle pretty tight at one spot when Jack, his mom, and cop Nick risk their lives to search for Jack's dad Jason. They need to cross boarders that the North Korean military have set up. Yikes! If you do not like cliffhangers you may want to wait to read this book as the reader is left wanting to know more. I actually said out loud "REALLY, ARGH!" while my husband sat beside me laughing as he knew it must have been a cliffhanger I had hit.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and I recommend it to anyone who love YA action, war type books.
My original review can be found on Genuine Jenn
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I love that this story is set in Canada. It is set in Vancouver near the American border. I am Canadian and love stories set here. This is the first book I have read from Shannon Peel and was very pleased with the authors writing. It flowed really well together and the author developed the backdrop without over doing it. I will admit that Jack (the main character) got on my nerves sometimes but I just kept reminding myself that is what a thirteen year old boy is like. They are coming into their manhood and moving away from needing mom. Jack lives with his mom full time and only sees his dad, who moved into the city, every second weekend.
This book is one of my "broaden my genres" books and I was pretty impressed. I enjoyed it a lot. North Korea invades Canada and starts taking people to camps, the stadium and the arena depending on who they are. They ration food to the community and threaten to kill anyone who is caught with more food than they are allowed. Everyone has been given the rules and know the consequence for breaking them. With everything going on in the world today this story very well could be real. It is a YA novel and I would suggest it for 12 years and older because of the little violence in it. The are a few scenes when people are killed and Jack witnesses it.
The author had me hanging on to my kindle pretty tight at one spot when Jack, his mom, and cop Nick risk their lives to search for Jack's dad Jason. They need to cross boarders that the North Korean military have set up. Yikes! If you do not like cliffhangers you may want to wait to read this book as the reader is left wanting to know more. I actually said out loud "REALLY, ARGH!" while my husband sat beside me laughing as he knew it must have been a cliffhanger I had hit.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and I recommend it to anyone who love YA action, war type books.
February 7, 2016
For full review, please click here
I recently took a learning analysis test to see what learning style is best for me (I'm a visual learner, by the way). The site that did the analysis recommended that I read books that are rich in imagery.
Thirteen is perfect for that. The description alongside the plot creates a powerful story that really made me think about life if our freedom was delimited. The writing really captured my attention and meant that it fit well into my schedule!
Overall, Thirteen was a well-written, gripping read from start to finish which I recommend for the ages of 11 - 15 (although I think an adult would enjoy it too, without feeling like they're reading a children's book)
My only concern is that whilst Jack, Sidney, Nick and Kim (four of the most prominent characters) were developed and strong figures, Paige was a manic pixie dream girl, which is unfortunate.
I recently took a learning analysis test to see what learning style is best for me (I'm a visual learner, by the way). The site that did the analysis recommended that I read books that are rich in imagery.
Thirteen is perfect for that. The description alongside the plot creates a powerful story that really made me think about life if our freedom was delimited. The writing really captured my attention and meant that it fit well into my schedule!
Overall, Thirteen was a well-written, gripping read from start to finish which I recommend for the ages of 11 - 15 (although I think an adult would enjoy it too, without feeling like they're reading a children's book)
My only concern is that whilst Jack, Sidney, Nick and Kim (four of the most prominent characters) were developed and strong figures, Paige was a manic pixie dream girl, which is unfortunate.
October 8, 2015
It’s absolutely not a secret that dystopian novels are all the rage right now in the reading world, due in part to the popularity of The Hunger Games. However, one thing I’ve noticed — at least in the dystopian novels I’ve read — is that we don’t really get to see or even learn much about daily life during the transition period of freedom to totalitarian control; most stories drop us right in the middle of the action, or around the time The Chosen One hatches their plan to bring down the dictator/The Capitol/what have you. The refreshing thing about Shannon Peel’s Thirteen, though, is that it subverts some of these tired tropes that are popping up everywhere in young adult fiction as of late. Not everyone can be Katniss Everdeen or Tris Prior, even though we desperately want to be. As much as I enjoyed seeing the establishment of a dystopian setting for once, there were quite a few elements in Thirteen that pulled me out of fully suspending my disbelief while reading that definitely need addressing.
The novel follows Jack, a thirteen-year-old boy living in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada with his recently-divorced mother. Feeling dejected from his father’s recent departure from the family, he begins to rebel in little ways like sneaking out with his friends and setting off firecrackers in the dead of night. However, after he and his mother are violently woken up from the sounds of explosions and gunfire, Jack realizes that this is more than just childhood pranks happening right outside his window. As the hours pass, the neighborhood gradually realizes that the commotion came from a sudden occupation of Vancouver by North Korean soldiers, set on holding the city hostage until the United States repents for their crimes against North Korea in recent decades. The thing is, though, Jack is determined to step up as the man of the house and he’s not just ready to submit to the occupation just yet. With his dad still missing and his mother not stepping up to the plate, Jack knows that it’s up to him to keep his sanity — and himself — alive.
To be completely fair, it’s worth noting that I’m probably not the intended audience for this book. As mentioned in the book’s description, Thirteen is really targeted toward middle-grade readers around ten to fourteen-years-of-age; since the story is written from Jack’s third person perspective, the readers get insight and feelings from only his younger and less experienced point of view. He is exceedingly prone to making snap decisions and judgments about the situations he finds himself in and has little regard for how his actions can negatively impact those around him. For example, at one point, he and his mother go to the grocery store the day after the occupation began, but find themselves nearly targeted by soldiers picking off people who are taking food that was not assigned to them. Jack, however, knows that there’s probably some food in the grocery store’s back storage area, so he jumps out of his mother’s car to dash inside while she’s trying to leave the parking lot. He completely disregards the fact that he could easily be shot and killed while he’s making the mad run into the store. As a twenty four-year-old adult, I cannot fathom the mental gymnastics it would take for someone to make such a decision, especially since his actions could result in his mother being killed. However, I could see where a younger reader would cheer Jack on as he’s trying to gather provisions for him and his mother.
Also, there were smaller details about the beginning of the occupation itself that made me question exactly how real of a situation this would be. During a chapter-long plot exposition early in the story, we find out that the people of Vancouver weren’t immediately terrified at the tanks and marching soldiers roaming the streets. They had initially thought it was a movie set being established. Granted, Vancouver is, in reality, a popular filming location, but where were the cameras? The trailers that come with a movie set? I had a hard time believing that citizens of a major city would just brush off random military tanks rolling through town as just actors.
All of this is not to say that Peel is a bad writer. Apart from the solely-exposition chapter, Peel did a fantastic job of setting the scenes in such a way that it created vivid imagery in my mind. Often, when I read works from newer authors, they tend to do far more telling the audience what’s going on, rather than showing us what’s happening from the character’s eyes. One of the scenes followed Jack and his mom as they collected firewood for heat and cooking, since citizens were not allowed power but for only an hour a day during the occupation. Peel describes every detail about the serenity of the ravine as juxtaposition from the chaos only miles away in the center of the city, but, of course, in Jack’s eyes, nature is boring. However, as another writer, it was a nice touch for us to be put directly into the scene via his senses and thoughts. Additionally, only once during Thirteen did I feel separate from the action of the story, but from the start of the next chapter, we were back into the action. As mentioned earlier, I also appreciated that this took the dystopian genre from a different perspective. Jack isn’t set to fulfill this great prophecy or single-handedly overthrow the North Koreans, like we see in most of the heroines and heroes of recent dystopian novels. Instead, he tries his best to adapt to living life as normally as possible in light of everything being thrown into chaos out of nowhere.
While Thirteen isn’t one of those novels that I would find myself reaching for to repeatedly reread, I can fully appreciate its merit to its intended audience. It’s truly not often that we see dystopian novels showing the perspectives of anyone other than older teenagers and adults; seeing this rapidly-changing world through a younger person’s eyes is certainly refreshing in the midst of a genre that’s gradually going stale. Though there are some things within Peel’s world building that absolutely need tweaking to make the occupation more believable, she has packed in enough action and description that make me interested in seeing how our young hero moves forward. Thanks for the cliffhanger, Shannon; now I have to wait!
The novel follows Jack, a thirteen-year-old boy living in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada with his recently-divorced mother. Feeling dejected from his father’s recent departure from the family, he begins to rebel in little ways like sneaking out with his friends and setting off firecrackers in the dead of night. However, after he and his mother are violently woken up from the sounds of explosions and gunfire, Jack realizes that this is more than just childhood pranks happening right outside his window. As the hours pass, the neighborhood gradually realizes that the commotion came from a sudden occupation of Vancouver by North Korean soldiers, set on holding the city hostage until the United States repents for their crimes against North Korea in recent decades. The thing is, though, Jack is determined to step up as the man of the house and he’s not just ready to submit to the occupation just yet. With his dad still missing and his mother not stepping up to the plate, Jack knows that it’s up to him to keep his sanity — and himself — alive.
To be completely fair, it’s worth noting that I’m probably not the intended audience for this book. As mentioned in the book’s description, Thirteen is really targeted toward middle-grade readers around ten to fourteen-years-of-age; since the story is written from Jack’s third person perspective, the readers get insight and feelings from only his younger and less experienced point of view. He is exceedingly prone to making snap decisions and judgments about the situations he finds himself in and has little regard for how his actions can negatively impact those around him. For example, at one point, he and his mother go to the grocery store the day after the occupation began, but find themselves nearly targeted by soldiers picking off people who are taking food that was not assigned to them. Jack, however, knows that there’s probably some food in the grocery store’s back storage area, so he jumps out of his mother’s car to dash inside while she’s trying to leave the parking lot. He completely disregards the fact that he could easily be shot and killed while he’s making the mad run into the store. As a twenty four-year-old adult, I cannot fathom the mental gymnastics it would take for someone to make such a decision, especially since his actions could result in his mother being killed. However, I could see where a younger reader would cheer Jack on as he’s trying to gather provisions for him and his mother.
Also, there were smaller details about the beginning of the occupation itself that made me question exactly how real of a situation this would be. During a chapter-long plot exposition early in the story, we find out that the people of Vancouver weren’t immediately terrified at the tanks and marching soldiers roaming the streets. They had initially thought it was a movie set being established. Granted, Vancouver is, in reality, a popular filming location, but where were the cameras? The trailers that come with a movie set? I had a hard time believing that citizens of a major city would just brush off random military tanks rolling through town as just actors.
All of this is not to say that Peel is a bad writer. Apart from the solely-exposition chapter, Peel did a fantastic job of setting the scenes in such a way that it created vivid imagery in my mind. Often, when I read works from newer authors, they tend to do far more telling the audience what’s going on, rather than showing us what’s happening from the character’s eyes. One of the scenes followed Jack and his mom as they collected firewood for heat and cooking, since citizens were not allowed power but for only an hour a day during the occupation. Peel describes every detail about the serenity of the ravine as juxtaposition from the chaos only miles away in the center of the city, but, of course, in Jack’s eyes, nature is boring. However, as another writer, it was a nice touch for us to be put directly into the scene via his senses and thoughts. Additionally, only once during Thirteen did I feel separate from the action of the story, but from the start of the next chapter, we were back into the action. As mentioned earlier, I also appreciated that this took the dystopian genre from a different perspective. Jack isn’t set to fulfill this great prophecy or single-handedly overthrow the North Koreans, like we see in most of the heroines and heroes of recent dystopian novels. Instead, he tries his best to adapt to living life as normally as possible in light of everything being thrown into chaos out of nowhere.
While Thirteen isn’t one of those novels that I would find myself reaching for to repeatedly reread, I can fully appreciate its merit to its intended audience. It’s truly not often that we see dystopian novels showing the perspectives of anyone other than older teenagers and adults; seeing this rapidly-changing world through a younger person’s eyes is certainly refreshing in the midst of a genre that’s gradually going stale. Though there are some things within Peel’s world building that absolutely need tweaking to make the occupation more believable, she has packed in enough action and description that make me interested in seeing how our young hero moves forward. Thanks for the cliffhanger, Shannon; now I have to wait!
October 6, 2015
**I received this book for free as part of a blog tour**
Thirteen year old Jack Sullivan had a normal life living in Vancouver, Canada. He went to school, hung out with his friends, and now and again got in to minor trouble. This was until the country was taken over by terrorists. Now he has a curfew to abide by, electricity for one hour a day, food rationed and no running water.
Though Jack is only worried about one thing; is his Dad safe?
"Thirteen", opens with a real bang, the sound of gunfire awakening Jack and his mum Sidney. They live near the Canadian/USA border, so they presume that that something is happening at the border crossing. They were not prepared for their city to be taken over by soldiers.
The story is told through the eyes of Jack, as he has to come to terms with the fact that life has taken a dramatic change. At first he is more concerned about having no phone, internet and computer games, as any thirteen year old boy would be, but as the story progresses, Jack comes to realise that he needs to suddenly grow up and become responsible, especially as he doesn’t know if his dad is safe, or even where he is.
I liked Jack; he was your typical thirteen year old at the start, but over the course of the book it seems as if he has aged about 5 years in the space of weeks.
Jack goes through a range of emotions throughout the book, but an underlying feeling of being scared is always present. He is scared that the soldiers will hurt his mum, scared that they have taken his dad, and scared for his own life.
I like how Shannon Peel had the idea to place a story that is more prominent in a war torn third world country, and place it in to a first world country, and showed how it would affect everyday life.
The book is full of action, it’s fast paced and it is centred around a thirteen year old boy. I think kids will love it, especially boys.
I however did have some issues. Firstly I was well in to the book when it became clear who the soldiers were, and although near the end we are given a brief reason as to why they are there, I never really understood what they wanted, or how so many soldiers managed to get in to Canada, nor why the army from both the USA and Canada hadn't responded. But these are questions that I would expect an adult to wonder about, not kids.
I did enjoy it, but it wasn't a book that I felt compelled to read all the time.
I rated the book 3.5 stars on my book blog www.whisperingstories.com
Thirteen year old Jack Sullivan had a normal life living in Vancouver, Canada. He went to school, hung out with his friends, and now and again got in to minor trouble. This was until the country was taken over by terrorists. Now he has a curfew to abide by, electricity for one hour a day, food rationed and no running water.
Though Jack is only worried about one thing; is his Dad safe?
"Thirteen", opens with a real bang, the sound of gunfire awakening Jack and his mum Sidney. They live near the Canadian/USA border, so they presume that that something is happening at the border crossing. They were not prepared for their city to be taken over by soldiers.
The story is told through the eyes of Jack, as he has to come to terms with the fact that life has taken a dramatic change. At first he is more concerned about having no phone, internet and computer games, as any thirteen year old boy would be, but as the story progresses, Jack comes to realise that he needs to suddenly grow up and become responsible, especially as he doesn’t know if his dad is safe, or even where he is.
I liked Jack; he was your typical thirteen year old at the start, but over the course of the book it seems as if he has aged about 5 years in the space of weeks.
Jack goes through a range of emotions throughout the book, but an underlying feeling of being scared is always present. He is scared that the soldiers will hurt his mum, scared that they have taken his dad, and scared for his own life.
I like how Shannon Peel had the idea to place a story that is more prominent in a war torn third world country, and place it in to a first world country, and showed how it would affect everyday life.
The book is full of action, it’s fast paced and it is centred around a thirteen year old boy. I think kids will love it, especially boys.
I however did have some issues. Firstly I was well in to the book when it became clear who the soldiers were, and although near the end we are given a brief reason as to why they are there, I never really understood what they wanted, or how so many soldiers managed to get in to Canada, nor why the army from both the USA and Canada hadn't responded. But these are questions that I would expect an adult to wonder about, not kids.
I did enjoy it, but it wasn't a book that I felt compelled to read all the time.
I rated the book 3.5 stars on my book blog www.whisperingstories.com
August 8, 2015
Wow, this book really hooked me, typical 13-year-old who rebels at most things especially his mother! He hates the fact that his dad has left and blames his mother, it is all her fault. Jack Sullivan thinks his mother is too strict, her rules suck big time, she always wants to spoil his fun. Typical of a boy his age, he just wants to have fun and hang with his friends, but his mother seems to always interfere, he just does not realise she is caring for him and loving him like a mother should, perhaps over-protective at times but she does have his safety as her main priority.
This story is aimed at teenagers, but to be honest I did not find that made it "too childish" for an adult to read like some teen stories do. I actually was really impressed with the Author's ability to make it enjoyable even for adults. I loved how Jack was a bit of a jack the lad at times, and at others a totally kind and caring boy, who thought of others before himself.
The story is set in Canada, and it soon becomes clear that a grounding from his mother is nothing at all compared to the things that are about to happen. People are used to having freedom and coming and going as they pleased but what happens when that is suddenly halted, invaded by another Country's soldiers and you are a prisoner in your own home, limited food, no utilities, no tv, no radio, no LAPTOP omg how does a child survive this? Jack and his mother set out to make sure they do survive, they follow the orders given to them, but they also do things they are not allowed to do even though they know the punishment would be horrific.
An absolutely lovely story, the characters are so believable. It is action packed and I really enjoyed it, in fact, I even forgot that it was a teen story I was more in awe of how Jack handled the situations thrown at him.
October 1, 2015
I received a copy of this ebook free in exchange for an honest review.
Jack is a thirteen year old boy. He’s got caught by the police for sneaking out after his curfew when he is grounded, and he is sick of all his mum’s rules, thinking that she is over-reacting for the slightest little thing. He blames his mum for his dad leaving, saying that she should have done more to make him happy. Overnight, everything changes, and Jack’s life, along with everyone he cares about, is turned upside down when the area he lives in is taken over by Korean soldiers. Jack and his mum will have to do everything they can to survive.
I really liked this book. There was non stop action throughout the whole book, and I wanted to read “just one more chapter” to see what happened next. I thought Jack was a relatable character for a lot of teenagers, both male and female. He thought his mum was babying him and being overprotective, which is something that I am sure a lot of teenagers have felt at one time or another. I can also understand why Sidney is so protective over Jack, especially when the sudden invasion came. She wanted to keep her son safe at any cost to herself, and felt such guilt when she could not protect him.
There were a few minor grammatical errors in the book, but none of these took my attention away from the story, which drew you in from the very first sentence: “Jack’s eyes snapped open”. I was hooked from then on, and I cannot wait to read the next book to find out what happens next in the series.
Jack is a thirteen year old boy. He’s got caught by the police for sneaking out after his curfew when he is grounded, and he is sick of all his mum’s rules, thinking that she is over-reacting for the slightest little thing. He blames his mum for his dad leaving, saying that she should have done more to make him happy. Overnight, everything changes, and Jack’s life, along with everyone he cares about, is turned upside down when the area he lives in is taken over by Korean soldiers. Jack and his mum will have to do everything they can to survive.
I really liked this book. There was non stop action throughout the whole book, and I wanted to read “just one more chapter” to see what happened next. I thought Jack was a relatable character for a lot of teenagers, both male and female. He thought his mum was babying him and being overprotective, which is something that I am sure a lot of teenagers have felt at one time or another. I can also understand why Sidney is so protective over Jack, especially when the sudden invasion came. She wanted to keep her son safe at any cost to herself, and felt such guilt when she could not protect him.
There were a few minor grammatical errors in the book, but none of these took my attention away from the story, which drew you in from the very first sentence: “Jack’s eyes snapped open”. I was hooked from then on, and I cannot wait to read the next book to find out what happens next in the series.
December 2, 2013
Thirteen year old Jack Sullivan resents living with his mom's rules. He feels she's restricting his freedom (typical teen) and just wants to be left alone to have fun with his friends. Waking up to the sound of gunfire one morning, Jack soon has a lot more to worry about than being grounded. Soon he is helping devise ways to stop his neighbours becoming desperate for basic needs and worrying about his dad. On top of that, his mom is making puppy eyes at a cop!
Looking at the front cover of "Thirteen", I can safely say that cover art is definitely not a priority for me when I choose a book. I'm not sure it would even attract the target audience, but the plot for the story sure will.
When I started reading "Thirteen" I had to remember to keep in mind that it is targeted at a much younger age group and it shows in how it is written. I kept thinking it needed to be spiced up but that's my adult thinking. In reality, for a 10 - 14 year old boy, it is just right.
Shannon Peel has come up with a great plot, one that young boys/teens would be interested in. I was certainly interested in it, and I'd like to think that I would be willing to help out wherever necessary in a situation like that. Each chapter was very well written, again, remembering the target audience. I really felt for Jack. I also really felt for his mom, as being a mother myself, I know how strong willed young boys can be and how hard of a job it is to protect them without suffocating the poor child.
"Thirteen": a book for kids with a simplified adult storyline. I will definitely be recommending this book to my thirteen year old son.
I was asked to review "Thirteen" in exchange for an honest review.
eBook Sharing (The Kindle Book Review)
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.”
Looking at the front cover of "Thirteen", I can safely say that cover art is definitely not a priority for me when I choose a book. I'm not sure it would even attract the target audience, but the plot for the story sure will.
When I started reading "Thirteen" I had to remember to keep in mind that it is targeted at a much younger age group and it shows in how it is written. I kept thinking it needed to be spiced up but that's my adult thinking. In reality, for a 10 - 14 year old boy, it is just right.
Shannon Peel has come up with a great plot, one that young boys/teens would be interested in. I was certainly interested in it, and I'd like to think that I would be willing to help out wherever necessary in a situation like that. Each chapter was very well written, again, remembering the target audience. I really felt for Jack. I also really felt for his mom, as being a mother myself, I know how strong willed young boys can be and how hard of a job it is to protect them without suffocating the poor child.
"Thirteen": a book for kids with a simplified adult storyline. I will definitely be recommending this book to my thirteen year old son.
I was asked to review "Thirteen" in exchange for an honest review.
eBook Sharing (The Kindle Book Review)
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.”
September 13, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from the Author for a review I gave of John Marsden's 'Tomorrow when the war began'. I was excited due to my strong admiration for Marsdens writing and my love of the tomorrow series. I don't want to say I was let down, but the book definitely did not measure up to the tomorrow series... This could have been due to the authors lack of experience that a more seasoned writer would posses, or it could have been the differences in the writing style, I felt like I wasn't really into the whole rebellious teen and overprotective Mum angle, and although the book was written from the perspective of the teenager, you could tell that a mother had written it with her own son in mind. Either way the book has potential to be a good series as the plot is really interesting! I definitely enjoyed this book and I would read the next one! Grateful to have had the opportunity to read it for free!
November 8, 2013
Wow, this book was over before I realized it ... and I need more. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.
If I had to describe this book I would say that it reminds me of Red Dawn, but with thirteen-year-old kids trying to keep their families together or reunite their families, and make plans for basic survival.
I really liked the main character Jack and his average thirteen-year-old perspective. Like how his mom annoys him with all her 'babying' but he loves her and he'd do anything to protect her.
I'm a complete sucker for a love being in a story too, even if it's gradual and not yelling in your face. I want to find out more about his mom and Nick. Plus, Jack's crush. Ah, young love :)
If I had to describe this book I would say that it reminds me of Red Dawn, but with thirteen-year-old kids trying to keep their families together or reunite their families, and make plans for basic survival.
I really liked the main character Jack and his average thirteen-year-old perspective. Like how his mom annoys him with all her 'babying' but he loves her and he'd do anything to protect her.
I'm a complete sucker for a love being in a story too, even if it's gradual and not yelling in your face. I want to find out more about his mom and Nick. Plus, Jack's crush. Ah, young love :)
September 1, 2015
This book is a story of survival after a sudden enemy invasion. It is aimed at teenagers but adults can certainly enjoy it as well. It was fast paced and action packed. The writing completely sucked me in and I flew through it very quickly.
Jack is a typical thirteen year old boy, strong willed, believed he was invincible and had a bit of an attitude. I found him to be annoying at first but he became a lot better once he was finally able to realise the dangerous situation that they were in.
Overall a great quick read and definitely worth a read if you like action and survival stories.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free e-book copy.
Jack is a typical thirteen year old boy, strong willed, believed he was invincible and had a bit of an attitude. I found him to be annoying at first but he became a lot better once he was finally able to realise the dangerous situation that they were in.
Overall a great quick read and definitely worth a read if you like action and survival stories.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free e-book copy.
August 23, 2015
Shannon Peel's "Thirteen," is a fun book of survival under sudden enemy occupation. Written in a similar vein to "Red Dawn" and "Tomorrow, When the War Began," it reads so smoothly that I was surprised when I'd come to the last page after a single afternoon. Worth a read if you ever grew up shouting "Wolverines" with your friends.
I'm not much for YA, usually, but in the case of Shannon Peel's writing I'm looking forward to seeing more of this series.
I'm not much for YA, usually, but in the case of Shannon Peel's writing I'm looking forward to seeing more of this series.
October 5, 2015
For full review please go to: 5girlsbookreviews.blogspot.com, Twitter @camartinez and Facebook "5 Girls Book Reviews"
REVIEW BY: Arianna, age 12 years, 10 months
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:
This book was absolutely amazing!
My favorite part is when Jack and his mom safely pass the checkpoint with Nick and Kim because they are relatively safe.
My favorite character is Jack's mom because she is brave and never gives up. She protects Jack with her own life.
REVIEW BY: Arianna, age 12 years, 10 months
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:
This book was absolutely amazing!
My favorite part is when Jack and his mom safely pass the checkpoint with Nick and Kim because they are relatively safe.
My favorite character is Jack's mom because she is brave and never gives up. She protects Jack with her own life.
March 10, 2016
The story is about a teen named Jack who thinks he knows everything there is to know and is also a little bit rebellious. Everything suddenly changes when he wakes up one morning and everything he's ever known begins to change.
I feel it was very fast paced, but also realistic as well. The situations the characters find themselves in feel very real and detailed enough that you feel like you're there with them, watching everything that's going on.
Jack starts off as thinking his mother doesn't know anything at all, and she's too controlling. He feels like everything she does is wrong. I actually think his mother is quite smart, because she knows what is needed to be done in order to survive but unfortunately, Jack doesn't seem to see this at first. Like getting wood and water at the start. I like how he starts to change and appreciate her more by the end of the book, after learning the truth about his father.
In the beginning it's almost like he sees his father as a hero and the only person he's really concerned about. As the story goes on I began to like his father less and less. He make his mom do everything in Jack's life? And if something in the house needed to be fixed, his mom had to take care of it and his father could basically do whatever he wanted? That really bothers me somewhat and the fact that he was with another before the split wasn't that shocking in my eyes.
The cop I feel is a better father figure then his actual father so far. He even bails him out after he steals the car, which is more for his mom then Jack himself, but it's still pretty cool. I'm surprised his mother didn't hear the car or notice it was gone. I guess it's cause she wasn't using it much perhaps? I was half expecting her to flip out when he finally got home after going out with the car.
I'd like to thank both the author and goodreads giveaways for giving me the chance to read Thirteen.
I feel it was very fast paced, but also realistic as well. The situations the characters find themselves in feel very real and detailed enough that you feel like you're there with them, watching everything that's going on.
Jack starts off as thinking his mother doesn't know anything at all, and she's too controlling. He feels like everything she does is wrong. I actually think his mother is quite smart, because she knows what is needed to be done in order to survive but unfortunately, Jack doesn't seem to see this at first. Like getting wood and water at the start. I like how he starts to change and appreciate her more by the end of the book, after learning the truth about his father.
In the beginning it's almost like he sees his father as a hero and the only person he's really concerned about. As the story goes on I began to like his father less and less. He make his mom do everything in Jack's life? And if something in the house needed to be fixed, his mom had to take care of it and his father could basically do whatever he wanted? That really bothers me somewhat and the fact that he was with another before the split wasn't that shocking in my eyes.
The cop I feel is a better father figure then his actual father so far. He even bails him out after he steals the car, which is more for his mom then Jack himself, but it's still pretty cool. I'm surprised his mother didn't hear the car or notice it was gone. I guess it's cause she wasn't using it much perhaps? I was half expecting her to flip out when he finally got home after going out with the car.
I'd like to thank both the author and goodreads giveaways for giving me the chance to read Thirteen.
July 22, 2016
Thirteen by Shannon Peel is an intriguing young adult adventure story based on an invasion of Canada and the growing resistance to this occupation. It’s also a coming of age story about Nick, a 13 year old boy who is struggling with his parents’ living apart and his need to break free. Nick is an immature, realistic teenager who grows with the book. His mother is a strong woman who immediately deals with the horrible situation while always striving to protect her son. As the invasion continues and worsens, Jack matures into a very likable young man. “He realized that it wasn’t enough just to survive.” The socio-political and survivalist details make this unusual story believable.
Thirteen is fast-paced, well-written, and with good philosophical musings: “Most people live inside their homes, cars, lives, and don’t know what’s going on next to them.” Young readers would find the adventure and protagonist particularly appealing. Definitely worth reading!
Thirteen is fast-paced, well-written, and with good philosophical musings: “Most people live inside their homes, cars, lives, and don’t know what’s going on next to them.” Young readers would find the adventure and protagonist particularly appealing. Definitely worth reading!
March 28, 2016
I received this as a first read. This is a lot of book in a few pages. I loved Peel writing. The writing is so descriptive and the words leap of the page. You become immersed in this book. A good read.
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