Scrap City~D S Thornton | Review

Title: Scrap City
Author: D.S. Thornton
Genre: Middle Grade/YA Adventure/Science Fiction
Length: 354 Pages
Release: October 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received an ARC of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review

When I requested this I was expected a quick, fun, middle grade adventure story. And while I did get that, I also got much much more. 

Jerome, the main protagonist, is a kid dealing with heartbreak and loss. When he stumbles upon a Scrapper in the junk yard near home, the two become fast friends. But life isn't all happy times and good days for these two. The story quickly goes much deeper, throwing these two friends into the adventure of a lifetime.  They have to save the junk yard, and, in turn, the Scrapper city beneath. But Jerome's father is working for the company intending to buy the junk yard, which complicates things even further.

The characters here are well written and realistic. Jerome is intelligent, but seems his age. Arkie, his scrapper friend, is kind and young. Cici Delgado, Jerome's sometimes friend sometimes enemy from school seems just like a young, impulsive girl would. The adults here actually play a part, though they are absent for much of the story. And every character has a role that must be filled. 

The Scrapper city is fascinating, but I won't get too much into that. It definitely has an interesting history that is well developed and explained. 

There are serious issues addressed that I wasn't really expecting from this novel, but was glad to have nonetheless. Jerome had suffered extreme loss in his short life and that was a theme that constantly affected him and his actions throughout the novel. Right up to the final conclusion. 

This is an excellent novel and I highly recommend it. I think it would appeal more to older middle grade readers, but that really depends on the reading level of the reader. A fun read with adventure and excitement.