Fall of Giants

Fall of Giants
by Ken Follett

I am coming up for air and a little human contact after delving back into the second book in the Century trilogy, Winter of the World, by Ken Follett.  I am loving picking up the the families I came to know in the first book, The Fall of Giants.  This may seem a strange recommendation for a young reader, but it is a wonderful book.  I would willingly let a child in middle school or better, who is not intimidated by the size, give it a whirl.  It is historical fiction at its best.  It gives any reader a wonderful look at the western world at the turn of the century.  And, there is a second book now available.  Kids seem to love a good book series.

The action begins on June 22, 1911 on the day of the coronation of King George the V.  From here we are slowly and masterfully introduced to five families from different countries:  USA, England/Scotland, France, Germany, Russia.  They are from all walks of life.  They each have a different degree of political influence.  We will follow them, in Fall of Giants, through WWI, the Russian Revolution, Women's Suffrage, and the Industrial Revolution.  With a cast of characters this big, if you can imagine it happening in this time period, you should count on finding it on the page.  It is 985 pages long, so this is not for the faint of heart.  But, if you have a committed reader, I would encourage you to help them along their way.  I bought a copy today for one of my 8th grade bookclub members.  She is going to love it.