The Last Safe Place on Earth

Rating:
Summary: danger touches our 'safest' communities
Review: "I'm beginning to wonder about this wonderful, caring community we live in. With its car thieves and its hate groups and its superstitious book-banners and its full-service medical facility that will let somebody's son walk away without asking if he has anyplace to go..." (pg. 117). The Last Safe Place on Earth was a book that I could really relate to because it was so true to life. It told about the many problems and dangers that occur in even our 'safest' neighborhoods. I liked how you saw all this through the eyes of an average teenager who was living through all of these conflicts. The Last Safe Place on Earth was a very good read and I'd recommend it to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: danger touches our 'safest' communities
Review: "I'm beginning to wonder about this wonderful, caring community we live in. With its car thieves and its hate groups and its superstitious book-banners and its full-service medical facility that will let somebody's son walk away without asking if he has anyplace to go..." (pg. 117). The Last Safe Place on Earth was a book that I could really relate to because it was so true to life. It told about the many problems and dangers that occur in even our 'safest' neighborhoods. I liked how you saw all this through the eyes of an average teenager who was living through all of these conflicts. The Last Safe Place on Earth was a very good read and I'd recommend it to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Neighborhood of Wonders
Review: A Review by Taylor

There were a couple of good and bad things about the book. One thing that was bad about this book or could have been improved was the difficulty throughout the story, it was not hard to read and that shows that this may be better for younger kids (Middle School). But there were also some good things; the author described every scene with imaginable details. Also the author talks about each person's personality and how they feel about different subjects and how they act around the house or how they are feeling. For example, Todd says "I see girls in the shapes the tree trunks make and in the formations of the clouds." That shows how much Todd is into girls. Another good thing is pace in the storyline, it doesn't go too fast, it goes slow and steady so you don't get lost or mixed up about the main subjects or events that happen.

My recommendation for this book is it is good for kids around the ages of 9-12. It would seem to be more interesting to a younger age group of kids. The type of reader for this book would be someone who is into mystery and a little bit of horror. Someone who would like the fast pace type of book would not like this book and should avoid it.

Rating:
Summary: The Last Safe Place on Earth
Review: I give The Last Safe Place on Earth 3 stars because although it's a good book, it doesn't stand out as "great" to me. Here are some reasons why... *THE DESCRIPTION WAS GOOD- If you read this you can really picture the people and what they are doing. I could see in my mind what each and every person looked like. *THE SETTING WAS GOOD- The book told me what state, cit, street, and even house number.

Rating:
Summary: An easy reader for any one
Review: I really enjoyed this book as a teenager and could relate to the problems in life Todd faced.
Todd is 15 years old in the 10th grade. He lives in Walden Woods a nice dressed up suburb. His family moved here because they thought it was a safe sane neighborhood to raise their kids but they soon learn the reality that no place as is safe as their own house. He is not the most popular kid in school but gets by with a few close friends and his sister Diana who is the same age. Todd developes a crush on his little sister Marnie's baby sister not realizing what she was about. Todd learnes the hard way he is wrong when Laurel, the baby sitter tries and almost succeeds in brainwashing Marnie that Holloween is bad and that the Devel is everywhere. This book tought me that you don't always know people the way you think you do and that no one is as normal as you.
This is an easy reader I recomend to any one out there looking for a mind bogling plot.

Rating:
Summary: This should be required reading for adults and children.
Review: Richard Peck has weaved a story that is well written, extremely interesting, believable and relevant.

Engagingly narrated in the first person by main character Todd Tobin, the book reveals the Tobins to be crafted as an All-American family. They are not perfect, however, in the vein of Leave it to Beaver or Ozzie and Harriet. This family has its flaws, questions its actions and makes mistakes. You can easily believe that they are based on a real family.

In addition to the excellent writing and characterization, the text touches on some alarmingly real and modern issues facing families today. One of the Tobin family helps organize an AIDS seminar which is virtually ignored by the conservative community. Todd's best friend has an alcoholic mother. The Tobin's babysitter is from a religious fanatic family and has corrupted the youngest daughter's mind in a way that borders on child abuse. Several members of the community are trying to ban books from the school library because they do not show Christianity in a superior position to other religions. Mr. Peck does not resolve all these issues and there aren't any easy answers, just like real life.

These are all important issues that touch the livesof all. Everyone should be required to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: This should be required reading for adults and children.
Review: Richard Peck has weaved a story that is well written, extremely interesting, believable and relevant.

Engagingly narrated in the first person by main character Todd Tobin, the book reveals the Tobins to be crafted as an All-American family. They are not perfect, however, in the vein of Leave it to Beaver or Ozzie and Harriet. This family has its flaws, questions its actions and makes mistakes. You can easily believe that they are based on a real family.

In addition to the excellent writing and characterization, the text touches on some alarmingly real and modern issues facing families today. One of the Tobin family helps organize an AIDS seminar which is virtually ignored by the conservative community. Todd's best friend has an alcoholic mother. The Tobin's babysitter is from a religious fanatic family and has corrupted the youngest daughter's mind in a way that borders on child abuse. Several members of the community are trying to ban books from the school library because they do not show Christianity in a superior position to other religions. Mr. Peck does not resolve all these issues and there aren't any easy answers, just like real life.

These are all important issues that touch the livesof all. Everyone should be required to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: All over the place
Review: The concept of this book is a good one--fundamentalism doing more damage than good when a little girl's babysitter scares her with stories of devils and the evil of Halloween. Unfortunately, Richard Peck tries to tackle way too many themes, and the result is a mishmash. Topics like censorship, fundamentalist Christianity vs. liberal Christianity, and death just can't be covered in the same 300 page novel, and have justice done to any of them. It's too bad, because R.P. is usually a terrific writer.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Author Who Happens to Write for Teens
Review: The trouble with many young adult books is that they simply aren't well written and the characters are stagnant and interchangeable. This is far from the case in Richard Peck's "The Last Safe Place on Earth". In reading this book you can tell that Peck prefers to write for a young audience, as opposed to some of his peers who seem forced into that realm because adults won't tolerate their simplistic writing styles. "The Last Safe Place on Earth" never demeans its audience with sledgehammer plot points. The characters figure out what is happening in their small town alongside the reader, not a frustrating 20 pages later.

Peck's novel teems with interesting, multi-dimensional characters of all ages who snag the attention of the reader from the first page. In reading the book, I simultaneously felt I already knew the characters, and wanted to know them even better. The themes of censorship, troubled homes, and religious fanaticism impact the peaceful town. The ways each character deals with these events create a wonderful spread of heartful mirth and family bonding.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Author Who Happens to Write for Teens
Review: The trouble with many young adult books is that they simply aren't well written and the characters are stagnant and interchangeable. This is far from the case in Richard Peck's "The Last Safe Place on Earth". In reading this book you can tell that Peck prefers to write for a young audience, as opposed to some of his peers who seem forced into that realm because adults won't tolerate their simplistic writing styles. "The Last Safe Place on Earth" never demeans its audience with sledgehammer plot points. The characters figure out what is happening in their small town alongside the reader, not a frustrating 20 pages later.

Peck's novel teems with interesting, multi-dimensional characters of all ages who snag the attention of the reader from the first page. In reading the book, I simultaneously felt I already knew the characters, and wanted to know them even better. The themes of censorship, troubled homes, and religious fanaticism impact the peaceful town. The ways each character deals with these events create a wonderful spread of heartful mirth and family bonding.