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First Light

Rebecca Stead

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What Members Thought

Jun 19, 2011 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, science-fiction

I first heard about Rebecca Stead from Ann Cannon at the King's English. She urged me to read WHEN YOU REACH ME, which had been one of her favorite books that year. She said it reminded her of the kind of book she used to read when she was a kid, that it was like reading A WRINKLE IN TIME for the first time. I read it, loved it, and agreed with her 100%. I also assumed that it was Stead's first book, since surely I would have heard of this fine author before! A few weeks later she won the Newber I first heard about Rebecca Stead from Ann Cannon at the King's English. She urged me to read WHEN YOU REACH ME, which had been one of her favorite books that year. She said it reminded her of the kind of book she used to read when she was a kid, that it was like reading A WRINKLE IN TIME for the first time. I read it, loved it, and agreed with her 100%. I also assumed that it was Stead's first book, since surely I would have heard of this fine author before! A few weeks later she won the Newbery Award for WHEN YOU REACH ME, and my cousin Amberlee said, gushing with me about how well-deserved the award was, said, "I want to read her other book now, too!"

Other book?

I looked, and there was FIRST LIGHT. Huh, I thought. It doesn't look like WHEN YOUR REACH ME. Look at that cover. And it's YA . . . ? Huh. And I put it on my to-read shelf and forgot all about it. Every so often I would come across it on my shelf, and think, Huh. Gotta try that. Then LIAR & SPY came out, and again the rave reviews. I read it immediately, loved it, bought a copy for my kids, remembered FIRST LIGHT, thought . . . Huh. One of these days . . .

Last week I went on a madcap holding spree on my library's website. I decided to put a bunch of stuff on hold that I'd been meaning to read "one of these days" and then read them in the order the library got them. One of those books was FIRST LIGHT. And I finally read it.

HOLY $#!& why don't people talk about this book more? When WHEN YOU REACH ME CAME OUT, what they should have said is not, Have you heard of this book? But: Did you hear that the author of the fan-freaking-tastic FIRST LIGHT wrote another great book?

I mean, yes, it's completely different. Completely. I honestly didn't read the flap copy or know anything about the plot, and I'm going to give you, dear reader, the chance to go into it blind as well. No plot points to be found here! I also didn't like the cover, I mean I didn't hate it, but I didn't really pay attention to it, either. But the cover is PERFECTION. And the story is also PERFECTION. What an amazing, tense adventure! What fun! What a fantastic premise! And so well-plotted and clearly well-researched! Arctic explorers! Polar ice caps! Sled dogs! Two intertwined stories! Amazing! I could have read on and on! Such a great book! I'm now kicking myself for not picking this up the first time I heard Stead's name!

The good news is, I'll be automatically buying her next book, as she is now 3 for 3 with me! ...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Lisa Vegan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens, fiction, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, zz-5star, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, novel, speculative-fiction, young-adult, reviewed, z2013

This first novel is the third book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoy this author’s writing, her writing style, her stories, and especially her characters. I adored When You Reach Me; it made my favorites shelf, and I really loved Liar & Spy too, though I think this one is now my second favorite book by Rebecca Stead. I’m a huge fan of all three books and will happily read any future novels she writes.

I was greatly moved as I read this book. Reading it was among the best of book vacations. ...more

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Jul 16, 2018 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: age-middlegrade, 2018, audiobooks, adult-ya-book-club

Peter's life changes first when he begins to have the strange headaches his mother gets, and second when his father decides that a 6-week stay in Greenland would be good for his mother. Life in such a snowy environment is quite different, but Peter enjoys the sled dogs and the newness of everything. Elsewhere, a girl named Thea lives in a strange world where she can communicate with dogs and there is no sun, no electricity. They skate to get from one place to another. How do these two worlds con ...more

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Apr 11, 2009 RachelAnne rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult

The sci-fi elements in this engrossing book feel more like magical realism; there's an aura of magic surrounding this dual tale of Arctic adventure. Thea lives below a glacier in Gracehope, the only world she or her community members have ever known. Peter is the son of a molecular biologist and a glaciologist. Thea is determined to find a way for her community to expand beyond the increasingly cramped and resource-starved cavern they call home. In an insulated blue tent above the ice, Peter is ...more

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Aug 16, 2009 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: juv, sci-fi

This story feels surprisingly gentle considering the premise - perhaps because the focus is often on the characters and their emotions and interactions rather than on the action and suspense. It might be interesting to read this in conjunction with something like The Giver, or another story dealing with a society's isolation and response to threat - although the society here is far, far more pleasant than Jonas' world, it has its own restrictions and rules. I was fascinated by the story as I rea ...more

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Nov 26, 2017 junia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s

Fun!

It was fun and imaginative. Although I love a good fantasy, I prefer Stead's realistic fiction more. She does such a good job capturing real conflict and problems. In this book, the main villain and conflict felt forced. And there were opportunities for scary situations that didn't exactly pan out for me, I guess. With that said, really interesting world! ...more

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Oct 15, 2009 Magda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fantasy-fairytales

A little bit predictable, but I was still holding my breath for parts of the book. There didn't seem to be any sort of consequences for the grandmother, though, which seemed weird. You'd think that with a society of people completely underneath the ice, there would be some sort of process for dealing with malcontents. ...more

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