Letta is one of the privileged who lives in the Ark, apprenticed to Benjamin the Wordsmith, keeper of words and supplier of the List - a set number of approved words that can be used in speech by anyone living in the Ark. When Benjamin is reported dead, a Desecrator shows up injured on her doorstep, and a boy is banished before her very eyes, Letta begins questioning everything she knows sending her on a journey that uncovers secrets and shapes the world she lives in.

The most stunning aspect of this book is definitely the interesting and unique plot. All dystopian lovers should enjoy this post-apocalyptic tale. Elements of the plot did seem a little basic, or rather slotted in instead of carefully interwoven. The novel sets up serious discussions concerning the value of the arts and of language and the extent to which free will can and should be controlled, but it fails to deliver particularly meaningful considerations on this topic, at least within this first book. While the dialogue being written in basic grammar and vocabulary makes sense with the plot line, the rest of the writing is also a little simplistic in word choice and complexity. However, the characters are interesting, even if a little underdeveloped - the novel leaves room for a future sequel that could hopefully focus more on character growth now that the world has been at least foundationally established.

Overall, some of the more underdeveloped elements of The List can be overlooked by the fascinating new world and interesting plot line. I would like to see a sequel written that delves with more complexity into the topics broached in this book.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance digital copy in exchange for a fair review!

Forde's futuristic exploration of government word restriction in "The List" was an interesting concept, so interesting that I was very excited to read this text as a possible suggestion for my book club students. However, after reading, I found the book to be lacking in characterization and original plot.

Harkening elements of "The Giver" (specific job titles like Healers and Wordsmith) and "The Hunger Games" (rations, authoritarian govt., etc.), those who love the dystopian genre will enjoy this book; however, I would not recommend it to readers in junior high, but rather those in 5th or 6th grade. The vocabulary and reading level were somewhat low, albeit still engaging enough for late elementary readers.

The plot itself felt too contrived and recycled from the aforementioned texts. Some areas weren't fleshed out enough either. For example, in chapter 4, Marlo tells Letta about a dream he had:
"I dreamed I was a fox. I was living in the forest and being hunted by dogs."
"Stop," Letta said, unable to listen anymore.
This interaction was confusing to me as a reader, considering he just started to tell her the dream, and she was suddenly "unable to listen anymore," as if she'd been hearing him drone on for several sentences (but it was only the two sentences). Her reasoning was that the son of the neighboring healer, Daniel, had recently been banished for stealing food; she was distraught over his punishment. As a reader, this was also confusing as she continued to be upset about Daniel when he wasn't a prominent character in the plot or even in her mental musings. The reflections on Daniel are clearly meant to be an attempt to characterize Letta's empathy skills and likely foreshadow future decisions against the "establishment," but it seems forced from these early instances.

Overall, an impressive and interesting book premise, but the actual carry out of the plot felt lacking. I would recommend this book to late elementary readers for enjoyment, but not as a class set to use for common core or standards based learning like characterization, higher vocabulary, or plot development.

Words have an undeniable power: they can convey ideas and spur people into action that might be unwanted by those in positions of power. The List by Patricia Forde portrays a world in which there is a List of 500 words people can use and a plot to remove even that small liberty.

Letta is the apprentice to Ark's Wordsmith, leaving her with the responsibility of helping to maintain a record of words, even those that are no longer allowed to be spoken by common people. After the Wordsmith goes on a word-finding trip, Letta is left in charge of the shop when a boy her age comes in, bleeding and in need of help. In helping to make him well and hiding the boy from the authorities, Letta learns of and works to fight against a deplorable plot to remove everyone's language ability.

The story was interesting and moved relatively quickly once the basic plot and character information was introduced. While I may be biased toward enjoying stories that rely strongly upon language and the preservation of words and artistic thought, I was intrigued to see how the story would develop but was moderately disappointed to encounter quite stereotypical characters in an otherwise entertaining story. The narrative was reminiscent of much seminal literature that depicts dystopias that heavily censor their citizens, which could help to offer familiarity benchmarks for readers but could also hurt it by causing readers to actively compare them; however, this novel offers a more timely, accessible censorship dystopia for younger readers.

Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

This novel attempting to mimic The Giver. It is a reasonable facsimile but nowhere near the same caliber. I liked the basic concept of manipulating language and words. Though tho novel is marketed toward young adults, i found it more appropriate for middle schoolers.

The List is a dystopian YA novel about life in the town saved from The Melting thast destroted most of earth. This town, Ark, was created and kept safe by Noa (see what the author did there?) . Our story focuses on Letta, an apprentice Wordsmith, whose role is to help maintain the List of 750 words. Obly these words are permitted and the arts are outlawed and practiced onlt by Desecraters.

This is a unique and thoughtful story and I highly recommend it for high school students and anyone who enjoys a good YA book. It will make you look at words and the world in a new way.

I feel like this book is a superstar. As in the book formerly known as The Wordsmith. It's being printed here in the States now, and you'll be able to buy it in August. The publisher couldn't have described it better than they have with this blurb:

Fahrenheit 451 meets The Giver in this gripping story about the power of words and the dangers of censorship.
Yes, I was psyched to read this book. And they meet up in the most fantastical way. You see I haven't been given The List. I can use any and all words that I wish. I can even make them up.

In this future version of Earth, we find humans alive after global warming has decimated the human and animal population. Tyrannical Noa is in charge and seeks to control his followers completely and exactly by allowing them just a 500-word vocabulary. He led the last survivors to the Ark where they all live after the waters of the Earth rise and take most of the land. Noa is convinced that language is to blame for the destruction of the planet.

It's almost a medieval setting in the way their new society is set up. School ends at a young age and job training begins around age 12. Some trades require a few more specialty words and those are doled out by the Wordsmith. At the start of the story Letta is an apprentice to the Wordsmith, and upon his sudden death, she is promoted. She is now the only person in charge of collecting and saving words. In fact, if people come across words, not on The List they are required to give them to her. She later finds out that they are being destroyed and not archived as she was trained to believe.

Without giving away any spoilers I can say that this book will stand alone with a satisfying conclusion but there is also room for a sequel and I hope it gets written.

I received a digital copy of The List written by Patricia Forde to read and review from the publisher. You and I can purchase this August 8, 2017.

Captivating from the start, The List tells the tale of the last Wordsmith in Ark. Set in a dystopian future, where the world has been destroyed by global warming John Noa sets out to rebuild a new community, where the language that destroyed the world is limited to just 700 words, reduced to 500 and then limited further and further.

Letta is responsible for keeping hold of all obsolete language, and distributing the List of approved words. After meeting Marlo, a Desecrator, she begins to question everything she has been told and believes in, before realising that she is the only one who can prevent Noa's plan for humanity?

A beautifully crafted, engrossing novel that encourages the reader to think about how we use words, and the power of creativity in every day life. How do you portray a message when words are scarce and art is banned?