81 pages • 2 hours read
Paolo BacigalupiShip Breaker
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
Ship Breaker
- Genre: Fiction; science fiction; young adult dystopian
- Originally Published: 2010
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 690L; grades 7-10
- Structure/Length: Approximately 324 pages; audiobook length around 9 hours, 5 minutes
- Protagonist/Central Conflict: The protagonist, Nailer, is a teenage boy working as a ship breaker on the Gulf Coast, scavenging parts from grounded oil tankers. The central conflict arises when he discovers a luxury ship with a wealthy girl aboard, leading to a high-stakes adventure involving loyalty, survival, and the stark divide between rich and poor in a dystopian future.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Child abuse, addiction, poverty, enslavement and exploitation; violent and perilous situations; environmental degradation; class struggles
Paolo Bacigalupi, Author
- Bio: Born 1972; American science fiction and fantasy writer; known for his works that explore issues of environmental degradation, corporate greed, and climate change; his writing often features dystopian settings and complex moral dilemmas; a significant voice in contemporary speculative fiction
- Other Works: The Windup Girl (2009); The Water Knife (2015); The Drowned Cities (2012); Tool of War (2017)
- Awards: National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (finalist, 2010); Michael L. Printz Award (2011) Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book (2011)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
- Families of Blood Versus Families of Choice
- Loyalty Threatening and Aiding Survival
- Destiny Versus Free Will
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