Genre: Fantasy
Summary: Piscine Molital Patel, known as Pi, grows up in Ponicherry India. He is a curious boy who reads deeply and thinks broadly about the world around him as well as religion. When his family decides to pack up everything (including the zoo they own and all of the animals in it) and move to Canada, Pi's life changes forever. Their journey aboard a Japanese freighter becomes treacherous when the ship encounters rough seas and capsizes in the ocean. Pi survives the shipwreck and manages to climb aboard a life boat along with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The rest of this exciting tale chronicles the 227 days Pi spends struggling to survive at sea.
Analysis: Martel creates a rich adventure tale that will leave you thinking about what it means to have faith. Martel is a masterful storyteller who creates vivid images through his beautiful and descriptive prose. His writing makes you feel like you are on the boat along with Pi. This is the type of book that deserves to be read more than once and will gain meaning with each reading. I would highly recommend this book to 6th graders through adults.
Review by Ms. Devitt
