Kid reviews for Leviathan

LEVIATHAN is a blend of fascinating machines, complex hero(ine)s, and action, and it is amazing - not only the writing, but also the illustrations :O There's a lot of swearing, but it's only stuff like 'barking spiders!' and 'bum rag' so nothing too graphic.

i'm a 14 year old girl that would not typically choose a book of this style, but after the first chapter, i was SOLD. all the characters are so easily loved and it's just so cool to watch them grow and develop throughout the series. deryn sharp is an actual QUEEN, okay? she goes after what she wants regardless of her circumstances, and i think it's important for kids these days to be exposed to things like that. even though it takes place in a fictional alternate universe of world war one, there are many references to the true historical events and many characters are real people (william randolph hearst, nikola tesla). your kids may become interested in finding out more about the real war! the only thing that parents should be concerned about for younger kids is that there is some wartime violence (not graphic), some mild "cursing" but it's more of in an old style and not anything that would be actually offensive today, and discussion of how deryn conceals her breasts to pass as a boy. you can't help it to root so hard for all the characters in the trilogy and as soon as you finish one, you'll be reaching for the next. SO worth it. mr. westerfeld, if you're reading this, do me and everyone else a favor and continue this series. thanks haha

I don't usually give 5-star reviews, but this book was just amazing. The alternate history it takes place in is unique, the plot is exciting, and the characters are funny, relatable, inspiring... Plus, it's illustrated! Every chapter or two there's a beautiful full-page black and white illustration that helps you visualize the characters and fabricated animals. There's very very little content in the book that isn't appropriate for kids; here's all I can think of: Deryn's older brother references her "diddies" as a reason she can pass as a boy, there's a lot of use of made-up curse words (these are often hilariously absurd exclamations such as "barking spiders!"), only one minor character dies and a couple are injured. There's lots of exciting action, but nothing gritty or gory. I'm a history person, so I was able to recognize the real history woven in; an afterword explains what's real and what the author changed and made up. It's a trilogy, so there are two more books after Leviathan. I would definitely recommend this series.

This is a great book on it's own, but the series is fulfilling. Be warned, that if you read the first book, and don't have the second and third, it will physically pain you.

This is a great book on it's own, but the series is fulfilling. Be warned, that if you read the first book, and don't have the second and third, it will physically pain you.

This was an amazing book, and I kept begging my school librarian to buy the last book. Very little violence, drinking and swearing. They have a little made up language to replace most swearing. A Recommend read.

This is the best book I have ever read!! I'm reading it again because of how much I have learned about world war 1. This book Is fiction, but its also vary educational. Your children will love this book. And I bet that the parents will too, If you read it. ( And you really should! ) You wont want to put it down!

As usual, Scott Westerfeld has written another masterpiece. The book deals with a well-known war, studied by all, in an alternate reality of sorts. Even better, it centers on the son of a late world leader and how he deals with the loss in the midst of war. Alek's quick mind and professional attitude are to be admired. Deryn, to me, is reminiscent of Holly Short from the Artemis Fowl series. (Independent, strong-willed, and of course the dead father and first-female bit thrown in for even more admiration.) I thought she would be cliche but I was pleasantly surprised to find she had her special differences.. The steampunk feel was perfectly excecuted, and the concepts were well designed and explained brilliantly. The book is designed to make people think on how reality can be altered in realistic--if not far-fetched--ways. So long as the reader sees this, I'd deem it perfectly acceptable.

This was really great. Parents who scanned the book and are worried about the later books being more violent should know that Leviathan is more violent than its sequel, Behemoth, at this point the only other out. The book is educational, being set in an alternate reality during WWI. The characters have to worry about being shot at or dyeing in battle. Deryn, the girl, masquerades as a boy and at one point, right after Alek, the boy, saves her life turns him over to the captain of the ship Leviathan as a necessary service to her country. Throughout the story the two face many dangers and are constantly in peril of some sort or another. Alek, who is the heir to Austria-Hungary, but on the run for his life, his parents just having been killed, is hunted by Germans and has to keep this birthright secret from the crew of the Leviathan which has rescued him. Deryn is going through the whole story trying to conceal that she is a girl, and is also too young to have joined this men-only army! She doesn't trust anyone with her secret, not even Alek, who becomes a good friend of her, countering the message of loyalty, trust, and friendship. The story is aimed at both boys and girls of eleven on up, even though the main character are in their later teens.

This might not be the best written thing, but Scott keeps the pages flying by, and the drawings done by Keith Thompson are beautiful, and really tie together this package. The cover is amazing, and the plot is very exciting. What makes this very good, is the cool storyline, because WW1 is the war that people really started using cars, and they still used animals, so really it was a mix of animals and technology, and Scott does a very good job by designing is own kind of war. It almost feels real, and like you're reading a textbook without the boring feel to it. The characters are developed well, and you began to feel for the characters. You can feel the ache when Alek has his killer fencing lessons, and you can feel the wind blowing on your face aboard the Leviathan, also Leviathan is pronounced Le-vi- a- thun. The book isn't too long, beside the heavy feel to it, I think it's the glossy feel to the pages. The book isn't inappropriate, it's just a little confusing. You will have to have the time to read it, and the violence does include be stabbed at, being shot at, explosions, and all of that weird war stuff, but I wouldn't be too worried. There isn't sex, but Deryn has to be worried about her secret being discovered, as in the fact she's dressing up as a boy. She worries about people noticing her chest, and it is replaced by the word "diddies." Wow, this is amazing! I loved every second of it, except the part when I finished it. Read the book, and love it, and if you don't, that's too bad, because you'll be missing out on a real charm. Enjoy!