Memory Boy By Will Weaver

Reviewed by Lori
Memory Boy
Title:  Memory Boy

Author: Will Weaver

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 194696

Description: Sixteen-year-old Miles and his family must flee their Minneapolis home and begin a new life in the wilderness after a chain of cataclysmic volcanic explosions creates dangerous conditions in their city.

Rubric Rating: Level 3: Laud It

Why I Read It: This book was a recommended read from a co-worker.

Lori's Notes:  Miles has absolutely no interest in completing his oral history project, he prefers to work with his hands, to tinker and build.  But when he gets paired with the cantankerous and elderly Hans, who has a keen knack for telling a story, Miles finds himself engaged in his stories of wilderness survival.  A series of volcanic eruptions has thrown the environment into chaos, Miles must use his tinkering skills to help move his family from a Minneapolis that is becoming more and more dangerous, to his family's summer cabin.  However, when they arrive, instead of finding safety, they find unexpected visitors - squatters unwilling to leave and who could potentially be a threat to the Newell family if they stay. Miles, uses his memory of Hans' stories to find his cabin in the woods.   I found this book interesting in that the roles of parent and child switch.   In an increasingly dangerous world, Miles and his family must find shelter, food, and water.  The parents, who should know what to do, must let their son lead them to safety.  And thanks to Miles' memory, they have a good chance of survival.

Recommended Readers: A particularly good book for boys.  Grades 7 and Up.

Themes: Dystopia, Environmental Catastrophe, Family, Safety, Generations, Memory, Role Reversals, Survival.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Music: Somewhere only we Know performed by Keane
Poem: Memory by Abraham Lincoln
Video: National Geographic Volcanoes 101
News Media: 2010 Iceland Volcanic Eruptions

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities:

  • What sort of skills does Miles have that make him successful at survival?
  • How do the roles of parent and child appear reversed in this novel?
  • How do Hans' stories help the Newell family?  Why are oral histories important?
  • If you needed to move into the wilderness what sort of items do you think you would need? Create a catastrophe kit.  What does it include?
  • In groups research a volcanic eruption and use that information to discuss what could happen if a volcano erupted in your community  (examples: 79AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens or the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull)
  • Interview an elderly member of your family or someone in your community about their life when they were your age.  What sorts of interesting things did you learn?

Next Book in this Series:

Other Selections by Will Weaver:


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