The Reader by Traci Chee Pages: 448
Published by Putnam on September 13, 2016
Series: Sea of Ink and Gold #1
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Dystopian
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive.
The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible.
Discussion: What Does Reading Mean to You?
The Reader explores a world without reading. What would it mean to you to live in a world without books?
Oh my gosh! A world without books sounds terrifying to me. Seriously, it sounds like the start of a horror novel (or film). Reading means everything to me. Reading is my career (there is so, so much reading in the legal profession), my hobby, my love and my joy. I would be lost without books. A world without books is a world that I want no part of. It would be my version of H-E-double hockey sticks.
Books offer an escape for me. They can cheer me up when I am looking for a smile. Make me feel all kinds of warm fuzzies. Give me a good cry when I need one. And most importantly, they can transport me to a different world within their pages. I get to become best friends (or heated enemies) with the characters, and I get to explore new fantasy worlds. Words are powerful, and a good book can make you fall in love, make you believe in magic, in other worlds, in the impossible. To live in a world without books, would be like living in a world without emotions. A world without imagination. It sounds absolutely awful. But the reason it sounds so awful is because reading is such a huge part of who I am. It makes me, me.
For all of our sake, I hope we never have to live in a world without reading.
I want to hear your thoughts! What does reading mean to you? What would it be like to live in a world without reading? Let me know in the comments
LEARN MORE
Visit PenguinTeen.com
Read an excerpt of the first two chapters here!
Follow @TraciChee on Twitter
#TheReader
@BookBriefs discusses what reading means to her & gives away #TheReader by @TraciChee thanks to @PenguinTeen! Visit Click To Tweet
I partnered with Penguin Random House to offer this awesome giveaway!
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win a copy of the The Reader and a matching Tote Bag!
Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by Penguin Random House.
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
About Traci Chee
Traci Chee is an author of speculative fiction for teens. An all-around word geek, she loves book arts and art books, poetry and paper crafts, though she also dabbles at piano playing, egg painting, and hosting potluck game nights for family and friends. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a master of arts degree from San Francisco State University. Traci grew up in a small town with more cows than people, and now feels most at home in the mountains, scaling switchbacks and happening upon hidden highland lakes. She lives in California with her fast-fast dog. The Reader is her YA debut.
Kaitlyn A.
A world without reading would be truly horrible!!
Tammy V
I love reading and always have since I was a little girl. Kind of an introvert so group sports wasn’t for me. Love being able to go find a good book and be whisked away to another world or lifetime. Now I also love it because I can talk to my daughters, nephews, and nieces about books since they love them too.
Jen
Reading is my sanity when I can’t be outdoors snowboarding or wakeboarding! I would mentally die without being able to read, ack, I can’t even fathom!
danielle hammelef
books have always been part of my life and now as a writer, books are even more part of who I am. No books in the world would mean I wouldn’t be whole anymore.
Cynthia Powers
A world without reading would be very dull indeed. I count on books to take me places I might never see in real life!
Edye
Reading for me is an escape. You can go so many different places 🙂
Vanessa
Reading is a way of life. Without reading I would be lost.
Kayla Covey
Ever since I was little I have loved reading, so a world without books would’ve meant a sad and boring childhood for me. Now that I’m all grown up, I teach first grade. How can I teach first graders to read and to love reading without books? A world without books is not one that I would want to live in!
Jasmine Roman
Reading to me is a life line I’m disabled and in bed most of the time and reading is my outlet. When I’m in the hospital weeks at a time books is my sanity it keeps my mind busy from worrying about everything around me. The book that got me started into being a book addict was the one and only ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’. I was in the hospital and my sister brought me the first book and since then I’ve been hooked
Nikki J.
My Mum has always encouraged me to read, starting very young. It’s a way to leave all the stresses and nasties of your day behind, and escape to something far more enticing. To not be able to do that would just leave me with no way to unwind; pity the fool who tells me I cannot read….
Alice @ Arctic Books
I would honestly hate to live in a world without books. I suppose that someone in the future in the world would probably invent books, but I don’t think I would be very happy in a book-less world!
Diane Elizabeth
Books have always been an escape for me, like a mini vacation. I think my life would be pretty dull without books.
Stacey A Smith
reading has been my escape from life with out it I would have never wanted to keep living. it’s the only the that keeps me from going crazy.