School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8 The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson (Runestone, 1995) is a sober survival story about a fifth grade girl identified simply as Lisa. The novel recounts Lisas struggle to care for herself and her younger brother in a world where everyone over the age of 12 has been wiped out by a mysterious plague. Forced to steal and afraid of gangs of child thieves, the pair go from barricading themselves in their basement to working with neighborhood children to form a militia. Lisa demonstrates her skills in creative problem solving as she finds food sources and establishes a secure community in an abandoned high school. However, the use of weapons such as firearms, bombs and other violent means of ensuring safety are disturbing. The compelling premise of the story is marred by inconsistencies in the plot. While its possible to believe that an 11- year-old could master driving a car, it is hard to understand why only a week after all the adults have died there is no mention of corpses. Julie Dretzin does a fine reading of the sometimes meandering story. The importance of working together and thinking before acting are recurring themes in this novel. With ample discussion and analysis. this presentation could be a jumping off point for a unit on violence.Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.