Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi
Author: Yann Martel
Lexile: 830
Length: 326 Pages
Genre: Action and Adventure
Awards: 2002 Man Booker Prize For Fiction
Reading Ram Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars



                          Piscine Molitor Patel is a sweet, God loving boy who lives in Pondicherry, India. He is more commonly called Pi. Pi Patel.  His father works in a zoo, so Pi naturally knows a lot about animals. He loves books and is an extremely bright boy. But he is not like other boys, he is Christian, Muslim, and Hindu all at the same time. One day, when Pi is 16, his family decides that it is safer to move to Canada then stay in India. They come along with a Japanese cargo ship, so they can transport their animals from the zoo with them. One lonely morning Pi wakes up in the cabin he and his brother, Ravi, share. Pi goes exploring up on the deck, only to find the ship is sinking. He makes for a lifeboat, gets on, only to find that there are 4 animals aboard with him. A zebra, hyena, orangutan, and the most dangerous, a bengal tiger. The tiger soon disposes of all but Pi. Pi must put his strength, vast knowledge of animals, and just plain survival skills to the test. Will he make it out alive, or will he become one of the sad stories of a boy lost at sea?
                          I really liked this book a lot, it was very well thought out and entertaining. Pi is such an interesting character, he is so different. The reason I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars was because the beginning was so boring. It didn't get interesting at ALL until about page 100 or so. I almost didn't finish it. But I am glad that I did. I would recommend this book to 8th grade and up. It is a little confusing at first, and you need to have learned some things before you read it. It is not inappropriate at all, but still I believe only 8th grade and up should read it. You should really consider this book for your free time.