The Crossing

Gr 8 Up—Maryam has only known one thing her whole life: to blindly follow the tenets of her religious community without question or thought. She lives on Onewere, a small island in the South Pacific that was chosen as a place to live by the Apostles of the Lamb after the world was destroyed by The Tribulation. The Apostles believe that they exist in the form of the living God on Earth and control all of the native inhabitants from an old cruise ship that is referred to as the Holy City. Maryam is among a group of native girls referred to as The Chosen. They are raised to be servants to the Apostles and reside on the ship. Once a chosen girl is old enough, she makes the crossing to live the rest of her days as a server of the Holy City. When Maryam initially makes the crossing, she is filled with the innocent joy of fulfilling her religious destiny. Her feelings are shaken to the core once she discovers the harsh reality of ship life and the true meaning for why she was chosen. A disturbing dip into how abuse of power can lead to racist ignorance and dangerous gender and social discrimination, this book will appeal to readers who love dystopian adventures.—Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA