Rating: 
Summary: "HOLE IN THE SKY" review by Jose Paredes
Review: "Hole in the sky", written by Pete Hautman is one of the greatest books I've ever read. The book tells about fours teens that try to survive in the wake of a deadly flu virus that has destroyed most of the earth population by 2028. A group of people immune to the disease see themselves as "the chosen" and threatens to use the virus to wipe out all other survivors. Ceej and his friend Tim set out to rescue Ceej's sister from the cult, though they aren't sure if she's a prisoner or a willing participant. They meet a girl who is convicend that there is is a magical path out their diseased world and into another one. Each of the four teens narrates of a portion of the story. The Grand Canyon works both as great place appropiate for a disease, and as a hopeful site for a mistical transformation into a new uncontaminate planet. In conclusion I recommend this book especially if you like futuritis fiction and survival stories.
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Summary: Welcome to the end of the world
Review: First, I have to admit I'm a sucker for any book that starts with a map. And that I love dysUtopian novels (like The Giver and Narnia).Narrated from four points of view, with the Grand Canyon as the "main character" in this post-apocalyptic novel, the tale is one of the enduring power of love, believing, and knowing where you are. Kids who like Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, older readers who like seat-of-the-pants adventure, and teachers who are leading kids in novel-units (like THE GIVER) will enjoy this well written story. It lends itself to sequels, and would be a good beginning place for discussion of "what if" with kids. Even if you hated Stephen King's THE STAND (a cheap ripoff of Pilgrim's Progress), you'll like this one especially if you've spent time in the Grand Canyon and gone to the Sipapu-ni. Great reading, good storytelling, thought provoking premise.
Rating: 
Summary: Hole in the Sky
Review: Hole in the Sky is the book I chose to read about. The author Pete Haulman wrote this book about a deadly flu in the year 2028. You should know that the Kinkas are a group of survivors of this deadly flu. They want to wipe out all of the people who have not been diagnosed with the flu. Ceej and Tim, who are friends, had their guardians taken away from them by the Kinkas. Ceej's sister Harryette, was a survivor of the deadly flu and she joined the Kinkas feeling very threatened by them. Now Ceej and Tim go out and try to get Harryette from the Kinkas. Along the way they meet a Hopi girl named Isabella. Isabella told them about a third world where there is no flu or Kinkas. So Ceej, Tim and Isabella tried to rescue Harryette. They ran into the master Kinka who was always around Harryette and made it hard to free her. Finally, Tim finds a way to free her and gets away. In the end, I was very disappointed because the author didn't tell whether any of them made it to the third world or not and Ceej and Isabella wandered off without Tim and Harryette and you don't know what happens to either of them. I would recommend this book because it keeps the suspense going and you want to keep on reading. For people who like good endings this would not be a good book for you but it had a good topic.
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Summary: Book Review
Review: Sangani,Pranay
Feb-12
Period-1Hole in the Sky
Pete Haulman
P.Sangani
P.1 This book by Pete Haulman talks about a flu bug that is really deadly.
hardly only some people survive after the flu has hit thrm and others hope to stay
away from it.They try to seclude themselves from the outer world.In fact,the isolate
themselves to such a major extinct that they prohibit outsiders from entering their
towns.Their is a mysterious group of people known as the Kinkas.These people have
survived the flu.People who have survived the flu are bald and some seem to loose
some of their human capabilities.Some can't talk some can't walk.In the grand canyon
in Arizona,there are some people living on the rim of what is the Grand Canyon.
Whithin them is a young boy named Ceej.He has a sister named Harryette.Ceej
has not been effected by the flu.Although his sister is a survivor.Before the flu she
was a playfu seventh grader,but the flu drained her ability to speak.She could
not hear either.Then there is their Uncle.He takes care fo them.Also,a person
named Hap trades stuff with Uncle.
The book was really good.The book gives you a sense of adventure.Unlikemost authors,Pete Haulman,has done something different.He has based the book on the
future,but he has not used futuristic technologies.The only reason to advance time was to make the event of the flu possible.The opening of the book is very good.There is a quote
which gives you a great sence of adventure,"That was when an earthquake hit.Except it wasn't
an earthquake at all,it was the rock moving,and I was standing on it.I saw tim's eyes go wide,and the sky seemed to tilt,and the air was filled with thunder/I must have jumped,because
the next thing I knew I was lyingon my belly on the rim and the rock was sliding down the
face of the cliff."Tim and Ceej are trying to push the rock down the surface of the grand canyon.
Then out of frustration Ceej stands on it.Then it falls and he jumps on the hard grand canyon.
This book is good,but there are four parts of the book,and in each of the parts there is a character.After each part the narration of the character changes and we have a book with
four first prespective reviews.I didn't like that.Another thing I don't like is the book meves at a very slow pace.You can convey the same information in a page,but they have taken 4 pages to display the data.So,it makes reading the book boring.Then the ending,it is abrupt.They wanted to leave the book on interpretation but this doesn't give an ending!"Maybe Ceej and Bella are dead on the river bottom,their mouths filled with silt."This is one of the last sentences and because of the narration changed the main characters are lost!
My least favorite part was that the main characters are lost.The holy place believed by
Bella is found,But Bella is not.I really got frustratedI read the whole book but in the end you don't know what happpened about the flu or anything else.
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Summary: Hole in the Sky
Review: The novel Hole in the Sky, written by Pete Hautman, takes place in 2028 in Arizona. A raging flu virus has wiped out almost all of Earth's population. A boy named Ceej, his sister Harryette, and his uncle live in an abandoned hotel next to the Grand Canyon until one day when a tribe of flu survivors attack a nearby settlement. Someone must go work the dam, otherwise it will break and the canyon will flood. Ceej and his friend Tim are left alone at the hotel. They wait for days but no one returns for them.
Ceej and Tim must now rescue Harryette, but on the way they meet a Hopi girl named Isabella who tells them of a sacred place called the Sipapuni where they can escape their flu-infected world. The Sipapuni is a hole in the ground in one world and a hole in the sky in another. Bella is strange and mysterious but intent on reaching her second world. It is hard to believe in such a thing, but it seems as if Ceej is falling for it even if Tim is not. Bella decides to aid them on their search, putting aside her desire to raech the Sipapuni as soon as possible.
The four teenagers are all forced to choose a path. Will Harryette return to Ceej and Tim? Will Tim believe in the Sipapuni or will he choose to stay in the world he knows and trusts? Will Ceej follow Bella in to the Sipapuni, if it even exists? And ultimatly, will they survived this roving, dangerous, trek?
This book was very intruiging and there wasn't ever a dull moment. It has an interesting plot and the way the flu was spread is very believable. The characters seem so real and the lonely world Pete Hautman has created seems so futuristic. This book gave me the chills because 2028 isn't that far away and it is possible for this kind of thing to happen. Overall this book was excellent and I would suggest it to anyone who was looking for something with a strange but exciting twist.
Rating:
Summary: Hole in the Sky
Review: The novel Hole in the Sky, written by Pete Hautman, takes place in 2028 in Arizona. A raging flu virus has wiped out almost all of Earth's population. A boy named Ceej, his sister Harryette, and his uncle live in an abandoned hotel next to the Grand Canyon until one day when a tribe of flu survivors attack a nearby settlement. Someone must go work the dam, otherwise it will break and the canyon will flood. Ceej and his friend Tim are left alone at the hotel. They wait for days but no one returns for them.
Ceej and Tim must now rescue Harryette, but on the way they meet a Hopi girl named Isabella who tells them of a sacred place called the Sipapuni where they can escape their flu-infected world. The Sipapuni is a hole in the ground in one world and a hole in the sky in another. Bella is strange and mysterious but intent on reaching her second world. It is hard to believe in such a thing, but it seems as if Ceej is falling for it even if Tim is not. Bella decides to aid them on their search, putting aside her desire to raech the Sipapuni as soon as possible.
The four teenagers are all forced to choose a path. Will Harryette return to Ceej and Tim? Will Tim believe in the Sipapuni or will he choose to stay in the world he knows and trusts? Will Ceej follow Bella in to the Sipapuni, if it even exists? And ultimatly, will they survived this roving, dangerous, trek?
This book was very intruiging and there wasn't ever a dull moment. It has an interesting plot and the way the flu was spread is very believable. The characters seem so real and the lonely world Pete Hautman has created seems so futuristic. This book gave me the chills because 2028 isn't that far away and it is possible for this kind of thing to happen. Overall this book was excellent and I would suggest it to anyone who was looking for something with a strange but exciting twist.
Rating:
Summary: Farewell to lost potential
Review: There's nothing like a good disease-based post-apocalyptic story (the smart aleck in me wants to say, "And this is nothing like a good disease-based post-apocalyptic story", but I won't). Pete Hautman is slowly but surely making a name for himself amongst the juveniles and teens of the world. In this particularly story, Hautman takes an old classic tale (a plague destroys most of the population of the world) and gives it a couple new twists. It's only through some overused motifs and silly mistakes that book remains as unknown as it is. Split into four parts amongst the four young protagonists, this is a story about the end of the old world, and the birth of the new. The bulk of the narration in this tale is given to Ceej. Living with his sister and his uncle just beside the Grand Canyon, Ceej gets occasional visits from his friend Tim and his father. The book is occasionally interrupted by small passages from "A Recent History of the Human Race" (copyright 2038) which helpfully explains how the plague started and how life after its appearance has adjusted. This conceit is great and saves the narrators from explaining details that they themselves wouldn't be discussing anyway. When Ceej's uncle and Tim's father decide to take a trip to a nearby dam so as to avoid a natural disaster, it's up to our intrepid heroes to try and save them. A band of survivors of the flu (which renders anyone who's lived through it hairless and slightly altered) called the Kinka are a dangerous and violent cult that threaten our heroes actions at every turn. The plot that I have just described is a really good one. There's a lot of well thought out details involved and I was delighted to find myself really enjoying it. Up until we meet the Hopi girl. Suddenly the book swerves from science fiction into fantasy. Ceej and Tim run across Bella, a girl in the woods who's been surviving on her own with little effort. Bella, and bear with me here, is searching for the Sipapuni a (and I'm quoting the book's jacket on this one), "mystical portal that the Hopi believe leads to another world". Fine. But I found the character of Bella stereotypical and needless. She could have been an excellent foil for the other characters. Instead, she's rendered two-dimensional. Bella has lived much of her life as any normal kid. Yet when we meet her in the story she seems incapable of conjunctions. While most of the characters speak without affectation, Bella has a halting overly formal speech that just rubs me the wrong way. On top of that she's a guide to the Sipapuni, a master of healing, has a way with animals, and speaks regularly with her grandfather (deceased). You just want to ask Hautman why he decided to write such a stiff caricature of a Native American. Why didn't he let Bella be a realistic person? Why is she placed in that long tradition of stereotypical "wise Indian" parts that have been around as long as "The Last of the Mohicans"? I found Hautman's choice to display Bella in this way offensive and needless. But hey. That's just me. Apart from Bella, the writing falters when our characters start concentrating on the mystical Sipapuni; a land without disease. Hautman starts to grow lazy with his writing. Harryette, Ceej's sister, is a deaf mute and a survivor of the disease. Hautman makes numerous references to the fact that Harryette can't hear things going on. Fast forward to the end of the story where Harryette twice miraculously recovers her hearing. Is this a miracle of desert life? No, it's Hautman forgetting that he wrote Harryette to be deaf. Hence Harryette, "Faintly, in the distance", heard Bella cough. Later when Harryette and Tim are climbing down a steep crevice, "A few minutes later I heard his voice". Sloppy writing, heck. Sloppy editing. Who could've missed these flaws? On top of that we've the suddenly fantasy element of the Sipapuni, standing at odds with the wonderfully science-fictionist feel of the rest of the book. The finale of this story is open-ended, which is fine. It does certainly stare you in the face and seem to scream "SEQUEL!!!" in your ear, but oh well. That was the author's choice, and as it is it stands fine on its own. People reading this book may certainly be inclined to read its continuation so as to learn more about the characters. On the whole, it's a fun book. I just wish it could have been rewritten a little to avoid mistakes, stereotypes, and shifts in genre. But if you're looking for a great tale of future woe, you could not do much better than this story.
Rating:
Summary: Farewell to lost potential
Review: There's nothing like a good disease-based post-apocalyptic story (the smart aleck in me wants to say, "And this is nothing like a good disease-based post-apocalyptic story", but I won't). Pete Hautman is slowly but surely making a name for himself amongst the juveniles and teens of the world. In this particularly story, Hautman takes an old classic tale (a plague destroys most of the population of the world) and gives it a couple new twists. It's only through some overused motifs and silly mistakes that book remains as unknown as it is. Split into four parts amongst the four young protagonists, this is a story about the end of the old world, and the birth of the new. The bulk of the narration in this tale is given to Ceej. Living with his sister and his uncle just beside the Grand Canyon, Ceej gets occasional visits from his friend Tim and his father. The book is occasionally interrupted by small passages from "A Recent History of the Human Race" (copyright 2038) which helpfully explains how the plague started and how life after its appearance has adjusted. This conceit is great and saves the narrators from explaining details that they themselves wouldn't be discussing anyway. When Ceej's uncle and Tim's father decide to take a trip to a nearby dam so as to avoid a natural disaster, it's up to our intrepid heroes to try and save them. A band of survivors of the flu (which renders anyone who's lived through it hairless and slightly altered) called the Kinka are a dangerous and violent cult that threaten our heroes actions at every turn. The plot that I have just described is a really good one. There's a lot of well thought out details involved and I was delighted to find myself really enjoying it. Up until we meet the Hopi girl. Suddenly the book swerves from science fiction into fantasy. Ceej and Tim run across Bella, a girl in the woods who's been surviving on her own with little effort. Bella, and bear with me here, is searching for the Sipapuni a (and I'm quoting the book's jacket on this one), "mystical portal that the Hopi believe leads to another world". Fine. But I found the character of Bella stereotypical and needless. She could have been an excellent foil for the other characters. Instead, she's rendered two-dimensional. Bella has lived much of her life as any normal kid. Yet when we meet her in the story she seems incapable of conjunctions. While most of the characters speak without affectation, Bella has a halting overly formal speech that just rubs me the wrong way. On top of that she's a guide to the Sipapuni, a master of healing, has a way with animals, and speaks regularly with her grandfather (deceased). You just want to ask Hautman why he decided to write such a stiff caricature of a Native American. Why didn't he let Bella be a realistic person? Why is she placed in that long tradition of stereotypical "wise Indian" parts that have been around as long as "The Last of the Mohicans"? I found Hautman's choice to display Bella in this way offensive and needless. But hey. That's just me. Apart from Bella, the writing falters when our characters start concentrating on the mystical Sipapuni; a land without disease. Hautman starts to grow lazy with his writing. Harryette, Ceej's sister, is a deaf mute and a survivor of the disease. Hautman makes numerous references to the fact that Harryette can't hear things going on. Fast forward to the end of the story where Harryette twice miraculously recovers her hearing. Is this a miracle of desert life? No, it's Hautman forgetting that he wrote Harryette to be deaf. Hence Harryette, "Faintly, in the distance", heard Bella cough. Later when Harryette and Tim are climbing down a steep crevice, "A few minutes later I heard his voice". Sloppy writing, heck. Sloppy editing. Who could've missed these flaws? On top of that we've the suddenly fantasy element of the Sipapuni, standing at odds with the wonderfully science-fictionist feel of the rest of the book. The finale of this story is open-ended, which is fine. It does certainly stare you in the face and seem to scream "SEQUEL!!!" in your ear, but oh well. That was the author's choice, and as it is it stands fine on its own. People reading this book may certainly be inclined to read its continuation so as to learn more about the characters. On the whole, it's a fun book. I just wish it could have been rewritten a little to avoid mistakes, stereotypes, and shifts in genre. But if you're looking for a great tale of future woe, you could not do much better than this story.
Rating: 
Summary: Hole in the Sky
Review: This book was one of my favorites, it gives you something to think about and also lets you use your imagination, if you like this book I recomend Z for Zachariah and Sang Spell.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book!
Review: This is really a great book. I'd already read a book about the Spanish Influenza in 1918 (A Time of Angels by Karen Hesse) and was intruiged by Hautman's idea that it could happen all over again. I got the book from the library first, and lent it to my younger sister who didn't sleep until she'd finished reading it. I read it a few days later and found it hard to put down. This is why I decided to purchase it.
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