I've had this on my reading list for a while, so I was psyched when it was one of my first Cybils-related holds to arrive. Hall's debut didn't disappoint. The dystopia laid out is clever, with exposition unfolding through Rachel's history lessons and discussions. Although it quickly becomes obvious that this book is laying out the foundation for a series, this method of allowing the story to unfold through dialogue doesn't feel forced or unnatural. Several of the adult characters have Secrets. And the book ends with one secret that is easy to see coming, but is dropped so swiftly at the end that you can't help but groan when you realize you are going to have to wait to know more. All sorts of terrible fates have occurred -- high taxes, labor pools, highly secured borders, government lies and conspiracies, nuclear attacks -- that sort of make this book an upper elementary school media specialist's dream.

During a recent class, we discussed the NY Time's recent article on picture books, and whether or not our students agreed there was an age limit for reading them. As an example, I introduced We Are The Ship and before you knew it, we were having a serious, unplanned discussion on race, ethnicity, current immigration laws and art. My heart swelled three sizes Grinch style that day, as I realized some of the lessons I was going to be capable of having with these children. There are some great resources for teachers on Hall's website if you feel as compelled to discuss this in your classroom as I do.