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After the Dust Settled
Shot Down
When a bullet knocks Malik and the Captain's hot-air balloon out of the sky, Malik goes into wilderness survival mode. Actually, he's been in survival mode ever since the world fell apart. Whatever the crisis, he's always counted on the Gene Matterhorn Wilderness Survival Guidebook when things got crazy.
- GenresAdventureYoung Adult
92 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 10, 2019
I would rate this book a ⅘ because it has a very interesting storyline, and a well thought out plot. After every chapter, it leaves you on edge about what will happen next. There were also lots of very descriptive parts that really makes it feel like you are there with the characters. It doesn’t have much humor, which is what I like to read, but it has lots of action to keep you interested in the plot.
When they get shot out of the sky in the beginning of the book, it starts off with lots of action that immediately gets you hooked and makes you want to keep reading. This was thought out very well to get the reader on board early in the story. I makes you want to put your attention to what happens next and to stop focusing on what is around you. “After something shot through the Captain’s hot air balloon and we started sagging toward the ground below, I tried to remember the Gene Matterhorn Wilderness Survival guidebook Path of Action and Crisis” (Mary-Todd 1). That is the very first sentence of the book, and it starts with lots of action and gets you hooked right away.
The second reason on why my rating is a ⅘ is because of all of the descriptive parts to the story. When they get shot out of the sky and hit the ground, it describes the surroundings as if you were there in person. “High hills formed walls around us. Tree branches split out like veins across the sky. The river’s current slid me forward ‘til I grabbed a fallen log” (Mary-Todd 2). It makes you feel like you were there in real life from describing almost every detail to make it seem as realistic as possible. The writer truly has a gift for this kind of stuff.
The third and final reason that I would rate the story a ⅘ is it always keeps you on edge for what is happening next. It has shorter chapters, so you know if it is a good time to stop or take a break. It also makes it feel like you are zooming right through the book, so you feel like you just want to keep going. “But for a plan? A real plan? I couldn’t think of anything except hiding and hoping a better plan came in mind” (Mary-Todd 6). At the end of the first chapter, you are still kind of getting introduced to the book still, but it makes you want to keep reading so that you can find out what it is hinting at. It keeps doing that throughout the book to keep you attention.
I haven’t read a book that is this well thought out in a long time. Between how it keeps you on cliff hangers, or the level of good description, I am willing to read more books in the series if it every comes to that. It is a short and quick read for anyone who wants to put their mind to some action for a little while. All of this put together makes it and truly deserved ⅘ rating.
When they get shot out of the sky in the beginning of the book, it starts off with lots of action that immediately gets you hooked and makes you want to keep reading. This was thought out very well to get the reader on board early in the story. I makes you want to put your attention to what happens next and to stop focusing on what is around you. “After something shot through the Captain’s hot air balloon and we started sagging toward the ground below, I tried to remember the Gene Matterhorn Wilderness Survival guidebook Path of Action and Crisis” (Mary-Todd 1). That is the very first sentence of the book, and it starts with lots of action and gets you hooked right away.
The second reason on why my rating is a ⅘ is because of all of the descriptive parts to the story. When they get shot out of the sky and hit the ground, it describes the surroundings as if you were there in person. “High hills formed walls around us. Tree branches split out like veins across the sky. The river’s current slid me forward ‘til I grabbed a fallen log” (Mary-Todd 2). It makes you feel like you were there in real life from describing almost every detail to make it seem as realistic as possible. The writer truly has a gift for this kind of stuff.
The third and final reason that I would rate the story a ⅘ is it always keeps you on edge for what is happening next. It has shorter chapters, so you know if it is a good time to stop or take a break. It also makes it feel like you are zooming right through the book, so you feel like you just want to keep going. “But for a plan? A real plan? I couldn’t think of anything except hiding and hoping a better plan came in mind” (Mary-Todd 6). At the end of the first chapter, you are still kind of getting introduced to the book still, but it makes you want to keep reading so that you can find out what it is hinting at. It keeps doing that throughout the book to keep you attention.
I haven’t read a book that is this well thought out in a long time. Between how it keeps you on cliff hangers, or the level of good description, I am willing to read more books in the series if it every comes to that. It is a short and quick read for anyone who wants to put their mind to some action for a little while. All of this put together makes it and truly deserved ⅘ rating.
May 8, 2013
This is part of the "After the Dust Settled" series--short YA chapter books that each has an individual story of a different person, or group of people, coping with the aftermath of the fall of civilization. Just what great disaster resulted in the fall is never defined. The books just offer vignettes into various survival tactics. In this book Malik and the Captain are shot out of the air. They were flying in a hot air balloon. Now they find themselves the prey of a family of survivalists who hunt humans supposedly to ensure survival of the fittest but actually because they enjoy the experience. Malik is a clever boy, however, and it's just possible he and the Captain will survive. Possible, but not likely. This is a gripping tale that gallops along at a breakneck pace. The author creates vivid mental images for the reader. Dystopian fans will enjoy the series, and the short chapters and easy readability make the series a good choice for high-interest/low vocabulary collections.
February 21, 2023
Shot Down is a gripping and powerful book that provides a personal account of Malik and the Captain's hot-air balloon shot out of the sky, and their harrowing experience. Written by Jonathan Mary-Todd, the book tells the story of how these two people survive after being shot out of a plane.
There are greats and lousy for this book. One great is that the book is very interesting. This book always has an event going on. One moment someone is attacking them then the next they are trapped. Another great thing about this book is that it wasn't a slow book. As soon as I started reading it was action-packed. This book also has a very good hook. A third reason this book is great is that it describes the setting very well. In the book, it said, “High hills formed walls around us. Tree branches split out like veins across the sky. The river’s current slid me forward ‘til I grabbed a fallen log” (Shot Down - Ch2).
Although this book has a lot of greats there are a few lousys. One is that this book is very harsh. As soon as the book starts they were shot out of the hot air balloon. Then they just survive in the wilderness with nothing but each other. They went through things you typically wouldn’t like. They had to go days without food, water, and months without shelter. Another lousy is that they had a few too many near deaths experiences. They were attacked by a bear, held at gunpoint, and fell off of TWO cliffs.
There may be a few lousy, but the greats overachieve it. I encourage you to read this book. This book is very interesting and very boring. There are always things happening that keep you on your toes. Lastly, there is no cliffhanger.
Overall, Shot Down is a moving and well-crafted book that provides a fascinating story of the lives of Malik and the Captains who fought in the wilderness to save their lives. In the end, I think Shot Down Is a very good book and you should read it.
There are greats and lousy for this book. One great is that the book is very interesting. This book always has an event going on. One moment someone is attacking them then the next they are trapped. Another great thing about this book is that it wasn't a slow book. As soon as I started reading it was action-packed. This book also has a very good hook. A third reason this book is great is that it describes the setting very well. In the book, it said, “High hills formed walls around us. Tree branches split out like veins across the sky. The river’s current slid me forward ‘til I grabbed a fallen log” (Shot Down - Ch2).
Although this book has a lot of greats there are a few lousys. One is that this book is very harsh. As soon as the book starts they were shot out of the hot air balloon. Then they just survive in the wilderness with nothing but each other. They went through things you typically wouldn’t like. They had to go days without food, water, and months without shelter. Another lousy is that they had a few too many near deaths experiences. They were attacked by a bear, held at gunpoint, and fell off of TWO cliffs.
There may be a few lousy, but the greats overachieve it. I encourage you to read this book. This book is very interesting and very boring. There are always things happening that keep you on your toes. Lastly, there is no cliffhanger.
Overall, Shot Down is a moving and well-crafted book that provides a fascinating story of the lives of Malik and the Captains who fought in the wilderness to save their lives. In the end, I think Shot Down Is a very good book and you should read it.
July 17, 2019
Shotdown is a young YA novel that I picked up for my 9 year old grandson. I wanted to read it to make sure it was age appropriate.
Malik and the Captain are traveling companions after the apocolyptic episode in the world. It's every man for himself; Malik and Captain join forces to survive. Shotdown is a short, age appropriate story that introduces the young reader to dystopian stories. It has a moral and ethics as its agenda which I liked.
I would suggest this for 4th to maybe 6th grade.
Malik and the Captain are traveling companions after the apocolyptic episode in the world. It's every man for himself; Malik and Captain join forces to survive. Shotdown is a short, age appropriate story that introduces the young reader to dystopian stories. It has a moral and ethics as its agenda which I liked.
I would suggest this for 4th to maybe 6th grade.
August 26, 2017
Don't have too much experience with short stories, seeing how I can never manage to not drawl on and on endlessly, sadly without anything actually happening. It was good though.
May 8, 2024
If you like action and survival in a dystopian world, you'll like this book!
February 2, 2017
Spoiler Alert!!! When Malik and the Captain are shot out of the skies from their hot air balloon, Malik goes into survival mode. Afraid of what shot them, Malik and the Cpatain look for answers. They journey up the mountain that stretches along the island for a day and are awoken to the sound of a gunshot. Feet stomping, a man jumps off of the ledge Malik and the Captain are sleeping under. The man motions for them to be quiet, and as he picks up his run again, is shot down. After voices indicate a boy, his father, and his grandfather, Malik and the Captain know they are up against manhunters who think that their post apocalyptic duty is to hunt the weak. The hunters let loose bloodhounds and Malik and the Captain make a break for it. They are cornerd against a cliff and manage to throw the dogs off. The next day, Malik finds himself searching for the hunters, and after walking through plains of horses and woods, comes across their house. A tracking device that Malik picked up along the way alerts the hunters and they capture Malik and the Captain. They tie them to a pole and prepare them for a hunt the next morning. Malik and the Captain escape before dawn and start making a raft. When the Captain goes to look where the nearby river leads, Malik falls asleep on the job. The hunters, Carter (father) and Kyle (son) wake Malik with a gunshot. The hunt is on and Malik is running. Malik stumbles across Kyle, who is faking an injury, and Malik tried to help him. In return Kyle gives Malik a water canteen. The Captain and Malik later meet up and Malik is booby trapped. The hunters have them in gun range but the Captain knocks them off their horses. The Captain and Carter get into a fist fight into the nearby river and it is up to Malik to stop Kyle from shooting the Captain. Malik escapes the trap and stands in front of the gun to use his words with Kyle. When Kyle fires the gun anyways, Malik is protected by the metal canteen. Malik socks Kyle and tied him and his father up at the nearby shore. Malik and the Captain barely escape with their lives but manage to finish the raft and leave the island. Sci-fi is a new genre for me and I like it. Shot Down was a great book with an unsatisfying ending and has opened up the Sci-fi genre for me.
February 2, 2017
This is probably the best 3 star book that I could review. In case you did not know, Shot Down is a book about a boy named Malik and his Captain. Their boat gets shot down by some crazy Kentucky manhunters who try to located Malik and the Captain. Malik has to travel all over the island with Captain who gets tired pretty quickly. They end up finding the manhunters named Kyle, the kid, Carter, the father, and Dennis, the old hunter. Seems like a good book right? Well, it is, but the ending brings this book so terribly much. The ending cuts from an action scene between Malik vs. Kyle. Right when Kyle is about to shoot Malik as Captain is holding down Carter, the book jumps to a scene where Malik and Captain are walking peacefully to the water by themselves. Apparently in the cut, Malik... socked the kid. Yes, he socked him. He did not shoot him, punch him, kick him, or bite him. He just socked him. This basically concludes my review on Shot Down. If you want to read it, read the first 80 pages and cut to the ending of Star Wars for a better ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2012
I support the whole series after reading Plague Riders. This are exactly what QP are supposed to be.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews