sci-fi book about girl after a nuclear blast?

Question

i remembering reading a book in 8th grade about a girl after a nuclear blast who comes across a man, maybe a scientist, in a radiation suit. they start living together and have to test food and water for radiation. it's been awhle and i may be off on details. any titles i could check out that may match?

Answer 1

This is a book I have just read called Z for Zacharia. Its written by Robert O’Brien. It’s in the form of a diary and is set in the future after an “ATOMIC” war.

It starts with a girl called “Ann Burden” who thinks she’s the only person alive on earth after an atomic war. Her family went in search for help but never returned. One day a man with a radiation proof suit comes into her valley but she doesn’t know whether he is a friend or an enemy. She tries to join up with him but they end up fighting for their own survival. Ann thinks he is the last man alive on earth and as a Adam was the name of the first man on earth he had to be called Zacharia.

Ann Burden is the character in the book. She is 16 years old and she tells the story as though she is writing to her diary. All the action revolves around her because she thinks she is the last person on earth. She is a very caring person because although she didn’t know the guy she helped him when he was ill,gives him soup and cleans his clothes etc. If you’ve read the book at page 50 she says “so even though the man was a stranger and I was afraid of him, I began worrying about his being ill, and the idea that he might die made me feel quite desperate.” She felt like this because she didn’t want to be alone again. Ann is also a very cautious person because when she seen the distance she realised that someone was coming. As the smoke got closer She decided to move up a hillside and into a cave where she and her brothers friends used to play . She took her .22 rifle, a sleeping bag and food supplies to the cave with her. She tries to make the house look as though it is empty, “I don’t think there are any signs that I have been in it recently.” Finally , I think she is a very brave because at the end she plans to steel the radiation-proof suit ( known as the safe suit ) and also the guys ( Mr Loomis ) wagon for transport . She writes a note to Mr Loomis asking him to meet her “at the flat rock where the road curves”. When he leaves the house to go to meet her she is lying in the grass watching him, “ for almost 5 minutes I lay still in the grass, trembling .”

Another character I think is interesting is Mr Loomis, known as “the man” to Ann. He is the stranger who comes into her valley. Mr Loomis is a scientist who invented the “safe suit” with his partner “Edward”. I believe Mr Loomis is a very evil man he is a murderer because he killed Edward when he realised he was going to steal the suit . you will discover this as Ann examines the suit and finds “three bullet holes across the middle of the chest, you could see they were bullet holes.” This makes Ann suspicious and puts her on her guard. Mr Loomis is not a man who can be trusted. When Mr Loomis is ill, Ann looks after him but he turns on her and attacks later in the story, “I was really frightened instead of letting go he tightened his grip. My opinion of Mr Loomis is that when you first meet him he seems a good friend but when you really get to know him he cant be trusted. He is the kind of character who always likes to be in charge.

A feature of the novel that I found interesting was the descriptive language because it made it easy to imagine. An example of this was when the author describes the difference between the smoke from Mr Loomis’s fire to the smoke from the atomic bomb, “It rose in a great cloud a long way away, and stayed in the sky for two weeks. But this time it is a thin column like a pole.” The author, Robert O’Brien, describes the valley and the cave that Ann lives in when she had fallen out with Mr Loomis so well that I could imagine myself in the story.

The main themes of this novel are war, survival, hope and loneliness. I real ly enjoyed this story because it was an interesting plot and liked the idea of being the last person on earth because it was exciting to read and imagine.

Answer 2

With every day pass, our country is getting into more and more trouble. The inflation, unemployment and falling value of dollar are the main concern for our Government but authorities are just sleeping, they don’t want to face the fact. Media is also involve in it, they are force to stop showing the real economic situation to the people. I start getting more concern about my future as well as my family after watching the response of our Government for the people that affected by hurricane Katrina.

According to recent studies made by World Bank, the coming crisis will be far worse than initially predicted. So if you're already preparing for the crisis (or haven't started yet) make sure you watch this video at http://www.familysurvival.tv and discover the 4 BIG issues you'll have to deal with when the crisis hits, and how to solve them fast (before the disaster strikes your town!) without spending $1,000s on overrated items and useless survival books.

Answer 3

Z for Zachariah

Answer 4

Z for Zachariah is awesome. One of my faves, even though it's rather dated now. :P