This book was marketed as a middle grade book, but with the language and content, I would definitely place it more in the YA category.

That being said, the book was good and I liked it.

This is the story of Letta and her job as the wordsmith's apprentice in a society that is only supposed to speak words that are on the list. It briefly touches on how the society came to be this way and focuses mainly on Letta's journey to attempt to expand the list and keep people from losing all of their words as the leader of the society continually asks for the list to be shortened.

This story was one that touched on family and friendships and how to strengthen both. It briefly touched on rebellion and why it is important and how one should handle disagreement.

Overall, I wanted more from this story. I wanted a tighter focus on one thing or more development of Letta.

Mostly a good book, but beware of content and language difficulty for younger children especially.

I had just finished reading a couple of “those” facebook posts from climate change deniers. I’d also just been watching as the newly elected administration in the U.S. began to delete pages from the whitehouse.gov website on climate change. And then there comes this book into my life. A book that shows a major climate catastrophe and a now post-apocalyptic world. The blame for this catastrophe was placed on words and the way that economists and climate change deniers used those words to trick the world into believing that there really was no threat and the human race could continue on with business as usual. The only survivors in this land are a meager few who could identify where this ignorance would lead and set about building a new kind of ARK, one that would save humanity from the certain destruction to come. But they had to do something to ensure that this sort of coercion did not happen again, that the human race was protected from itself. Hence, THE LIST. The list is a list of acceptable words which make up the entirety of acceptable speech and written language in the ARK. Letta is the Wordsmith’s apprentice. Together they manage the list words and ensure that they are transcribed and delivered to each class at the beginning of school each year. The list is there to protect them, but there are some that disagree that words are their enemy.

This book has a mood and cadence much like The Giver by Lois Lowry, which has always been a favourite of mine. Letta as a narrator has a fantastic voice and her bravery despite the possible dire consequences of some of her actions and decisions is easy to champion. The world built, the ARK, is well described and feels to be an organic part of the overall narrative. The characters are compelling and it is easy to get a sense of the community and how it runs day-to-day.

Overall, I feel like The List is one of those books that is both easy to enjoy as a good story and has a deeper meaning that can be pondered and explored.

I received a copy of this YA book from NetGalley in return for an honest review, and I'm so glad. This debut novel was quite well done. I know that dystopian novels have been all the rage, but this one took quite a unique spin, think about it, could you really communicate if you were limited to 500 words? Let's is the apprentice wordsmith, and their word List is now being cut to 500 words. Not only that, as the books progresses, her world is turned upside down. Who can she trust? Who is on her side? What should she do? Definitely worth a read.

I thought this book had a completely terrifying premise-after an apocalyptic event, the new leader decides the real problem with the world is words and is determined to get rid of all of them. Thankfully, a smart, strong girl starts to trust people she doesn't know and suddenly, there's a revolution. I thought the writing in this one was great. This will make a great addition to any library.

I was very intrigued by this premise and immediately got sucked into this story. It's a sort of dystopian/post-apocalyptic MG, which I haven't read too much of before. I'd say it's distinctly upper-MG. There's some very clear and troubling violence that's not on the campy level of, say, Rick Riordan's violence. The whole 'importance of language' piece of it is a little heavy-handed and on the nose, but that's my only quibble. Otherwise, it was a great read with a wonderful, pro-active main character.

Loved this story and I have already mentioned it to a few of my fourth grade students. I think some of my higher readers would love this book. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it! Wow, can't wait to see this in bookstores so I can get a copy in my classroom. Thank you for letting me read it ahead of publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My students love dystopian novels so I was excited to check this one out. Censorship and word study? Great topics to explore. However, I found the story hard to engage with and the characterization was a bit off. This wasn't the right dystopian for me, but I'm sure I will have students that will connect with it.

The List by Patricia Forde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a middle-grade book about the dangers of limiting your vocabulary! So get your dictionary and... oh, wait, it's not about that at all!

It's *actually* about a SF dystopian world after all the ice melted and the dangers of wrong thinking made the scared Noa build an ark, stuff all his people aboard, and be very, very careful about striking certain words out of the common lexicon of regular words.

Our young protagonist, Letta, is a journeywoman who's job is to collect the proscribed words, and later, she becomes the master.

I thought it was good based on these basic ideas and the premise, but if you think you've seen this before in 1984 or the Giver, then you're right. In fact, you've probably seen it in numberless short stories and even quite a few tv shows.

Is it worth reading? Does the plot boldly go where none other of its kind goes? Sadly, no, if you're a reader of YA. It's pretty potboiler with standard situations, but the ending does go bold.

Is it solidly written and keep my interest? It's solidly written, but I did have a few issues keeping my interest going, but that may be because it's middle-grade literature.

I do think it's better than The Giver, however, so that might be something to consider when looking for small-town ethics and a rigidly stratified society that meets unrestricted ideas for the first time.

In a post-apocalyptical world, a new society has formed around the idea that words create conflict, confusion and ultimately destruction. As such, speech is limited to a list of words. Letta, the wordsmith’s apprentice, is tasked with collecting words, and handing out lists of acceptable words. When she encounters a rebel, she begins to question the list and elimination o words.

Although the plot was a bit predictable, I thought this was an interesting world. It has a unique perspective that made me think about the power of words and potential doomsday reactions. I think teenagers will particularly like this book, as it contains elements of mystery and romance.

During my years as an English major back in college, I had myself convinced that I didn’t like dystopian novels. I hated Brazil, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, 1984, Fahrenheit 451…basically all of the classic dystopians that I was being assigned. It wasn’t until I forced myself to read The Hunger Games a few years ago that I realized I didn’t necessarily hate the entire genre, just the books that had been forced on me at school.

So I started trying other young adult dystopians. It turns out that these books, while still in-depth and thoughtful, often turn out to be much more action packed and tend to keep me on the edge of my seat. Such is the case with The List.

In The List, we are presented with a city called “Ark”, which is the only (known) livable area left on the planet after “The Melting”. (Basically climate change. That’s not really a spoiler, since it’s pretty self evident in the name, and they end up explaining pieces of it early enough in the book that it becomes fairly obvious.) In Ark, there is a set List of words that the people are allowed to use, which is maintained by The Wordsmith. This is because the Leader of Ark believes that words are the main reason that people were able to destroy the planet.

This is a fascinating concept, that the world could be destroyed by language. Politicians who use language to dissuade the public’s fears and tell them that they don’t need to worry about global warming–even as the water starts taking over cities, Murderers who use language to lure in new victims, Conspiracy Theorists who spend so much time trying to convince us about things that aren’t real that we end up distracted from the things that are. What would the world be like if we didn’t have the language that let them accomplish these things?

The author uses Letta, our protagonist, to really delve into this idea. Letta grew up in Ark, completely believing in the idea that the Leader was trying to protect them, even as she strove to preserve the words that were being lost. Then she meets up with Marlo, an outsider from a group of people called “Destroyers”: artists, musicians, poets…those who want to see the beauty mankind can create brought back. Inevitably, Letta’s ideas of what is right begin to shift. Could it be that language itself isn’t the problem, but how you wield it?

There is also a ton of action. There is the usual plot where the protagonist has to save the world, with the help of her new found friends. I say “usual” because it’s a common theme in Young Adult dystopians, but the author here does a very good job making the plot believable and in keeping with the world she’s created. I won’t spoil the book by going into too much detail about it, but it’s a good mesh of detailed, actually dangerous, and quick-paced enough to keep the readers engaged.

Overall, I thought this was a very good book. I was immersed in it enough to finish it in two sittings. It would be a good introduction into the dystopian genre for younger readers. It is also a really interesting concept and presents an interesting thought experiment on how language can change the world.

"The List" has everything I want from a book: a compelling heroine, mystery, adventure, hope and villainy.

The concept (restricted language) is both terrifying and tempting. If you read it on a day that you've enjoyed beauty - a walk, time with a loved one, art - the notion of just 500 words seems criminal and insane. That said, if you read it on a day that you've also watched corrupt media and politicians (naming no names), it's easy to see the allure of limiting language so that people can no longer lie and manipulate so readily. This is why the story is so rounded: as a reader, you keep changing your mind.

I want to read it for a second time and I need my friends to read it, too, so we can debate the concept!

As a teacher, I can see a great deal of potential for this book in my classroom. It's currently my number 1 book of 2017 and it'll take a lot to top it.

I would recommend this book for pre-teens. As an adult who appreciates teen driven dystopian novels, this was a slight disappointment. My attention wandered and I found myself flipping through pages when I felt the chapter was dragging a bit too much. There could a sequel based on how the book ended but I think I will pass if that comes to be.

This middle grade dystopian society was really captivating. Letta is the word keeper’s apprentice in a world where citizens are only allowed to use the 500 words on the approved “List.” If they’re caught saying anything else, they risk being banished past the large gates of the community.

There are assigned jobs, birthing limits, and a mysterious dictator who orchestrates it all. Throughout the book, there are revelations and twists that explain more about how the characters got to the city and the plans the dictator has for the future.

I found this really interesting because it did have vibes similar to The Giver and The Knife of Never Letting Go. There were some twists that even I didn’t foresee, and I think 5th-6th grade readers would love it. A lot of the plot is centered around the ideas of global warming and chemical contamination and religion. I think those were all presented in ways that were understandable and never too “preachy”. It was an interesting read all around.

Another distopian novel that focuses on a current world issue. Decent writing, but a new twist on the plot.

After reading The List, the phrase "freedom of speech" takes on all new meaning. The reader is immediately placed into the action of a story that explains just how powerful words can be. Although this novel paints an intriguing tale of dystopian and hope for the future, it has a slow start, and at times is too verbose. Overall a meaningful read, as long as the reader commits to finishing it.

I was actually very excited to read The List. Mainly because I really like reading, among other things, post apocalyptic dystopia. I love reading what the author’s vision of what the world would be like after an apocalyptic event were to happen. And I really liked what I read in this book.

I think what I liked the most about it is that the author took real life events (climate change, global warming, polar ice caps melting….see below for links) wove such a wonderful story around them. I could totally get what John Noa was talking about when words were not enough to save the world. I 100% get it because I see the same similarities today. All talk, no action and one day, something similar will happen and people will be devastated….just like in the book.

But while the actions that John Noa took to make sure that words will no longer have the effect to hurt or persuade is wrong, I totally get where he was coming from. He was trying to prevent people from doing the same things that hurt their society in the first place. First by only allowing 500 words, then by keeping them semi illiterate and then by taking away anything to do with music/art. In his screwed up way, he was trying to save them. But I do agree that his final solution was a bit over the top but in his mind, he was doing what he had to “to preserve humanity”.

Letta (and am I the only one to get the irony of her name) was a sweet, sweet girl who was kinda pushed into something bigger than her when she rescued Marlo and then hid him in her house. Just doing that set her on a path to realizing that John Noa was a very flawed man and that she was probably the only one that could stop his mad plan.

I admired her strength in accepting that what she has always known might not be the best way for people to live. I also admire her for knowing what John Noa was doing and what he was planning on doing was very wrong and having the courage to stop it. I do think that her talk with Benjamin before he died cemented those facts.

The secondary characters totally made the book, also. Finn, Leyla, Werber, Carver, the residents of Tintown, the residents of Ark, the woman who lived in the woods, Letta’s parents, Amelia….they kept the book going. They added a wonderful back drop of how people adapted to this strange new world (especially the older people) and how hard it was to survive.

The end of the book was bittersweet because while it solved one problem, it didn’t solve all the others that this society had. I did think the last scenes between John Noa and Letta/and The Desecrators, Rebellion, Citizens/Garver’s were very sad. People died, people lived and, to be honest, nothing was really accomplished….other than disrupting the end game plan that John Noa had. So no one really won and it definitely wasn’t a HEA.

How many stars will I give The List: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book and thought that the lesson (change our ways before something bad happens) is definitely needed to be heard. While this book deals with some pretty heavy subjects, it is a book that I would definitely let my tween read this and hope she learns something from it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Tween

Why: Mild violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I didn't expect to like this book. I was intrigued to see that this Irish YA novel was being published in the USA and I jumped at the chance to get a peek. I dove right in, and to be honest the first hour or so of reading felt like it was dragging. I've read The Giver, I've read Fahrenheit 451, heck I've watched Equilibrium! I really thought it was going to be a complete rehash.

I was definitely wrong. There came a turning point to me where I found myself pretty excited to finish, to see where the story was heading. I was actually caught unawares by a twist or two, and the book ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I had expected.

There are a few places where the environmentalism is heavy handed, to the point where I think it strains the narrative. Besides these points, I thought the story carried these themes well and communicated clearly to the reader.

2.5 Savvy Crowns is more like it.

Once the world was full of crooked politicians telling lies, using words to corrupt the world and when The Melting began (all of the ice caps,) it was decided that things would change, no more countless words... now everyone would have a word limit, only a set list of words they could use or be labeled as a Desecrator and risk being banished.

Amongst the population there is a Wordsmith who collects old words so true language is not forgotten, Benjamin and his apprentice Letta achieve this. Except when Benjamin goes missing Letta must take over and an injured Desecrator shows up. What is she to do?

As far as world building goes this book deserves a round of applause, it gave world information, reasoning as to why things were and depicted the divide in people.

Characters? I enjoyed them. Those who had skepticism were appropriately done, I don't really have qualms with the characters.

My issue is actually with how the story was paced, or how very little occurred so it felt like this book was mostly words to fill in space, which is amusing given the premise of the book. While the book started off wonderfully the second half and even later dragged on with events that weren't quite important to the story line which created some boredom for me.

I did enjoy the idea, but this particular issue for me is what dropped the rating immensely.

If you like dystopian novels or the idea of extreme censorship being portrayed then this book is for you.

Letta lives in a society formed after catastrophic events killed millions of people and wiped out technology. In order to try and regulate things words are limited and speech must be formed of words from a limited allowed list. Letta is an apprentice wordsmith, until her mentor dies and she becomes 'the' wordsmith. She gets involved with a revolution, almost unknowingly at first, and is instrumental in preventing a mass homicide.
The plot of this was book was intriguing and a little disturbing, with some very clear ethical messages thrown in. Letta is an interesting, strong character, I'm looking forward to watching her develop in future adventures. An excellent middle grade read with action, thrills, a burgeoning romance just hinted at and a few tears too.

My daughter enjoyed this book, she had a very specific taste in books, of which this book falls outside. So +1 star for that.