87 pages • 2 hours read
Matt de la PeñaThe Living
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
The Living
- Genre: Fiction; young adult thriller/adventure
- Originally Published: 2013
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 700L; grades 9-12
- Structure/Length: 8 parts (“Days”); 51 chapters; approx. 364 pages; approx. 8 hours on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: American high school student Shy Espinoza takes a summer job on a cruise ship to help with family bills after the death of his grandmother, a victim of the epidemic known as Romero Disease. A series of strange events on the ship, such as witnessing a man’s death by suicide, discovering an unidentified man following him, and finding his cabin broken into, leave Shy mystified. When a terrible earthquake and subsequent tsunamis destroy the ship, Shy finds himself a castaway on a remote island home to LasoTech, creators of the Romero Disease vaccine. Amidst danger and intrigue, the truth begins to emerge.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Epidemic; death by suicide; murder; violence; natural disaster
Matt de la Peña, Author
- Bio: Writer of children’s picture books, short fiction, young adult novels, and essays; completed MFA in Creative Writing at San Diego University; earned the National Council of Teachers of English Intellectual Freedom Award (2016); a picture book, Last Stop on Market Street, earned the Newbery Medal (2016)
- Other Works: Mexican Whiteboy (2008); We Were Here (2009); Superman: Dawnbreaker (2019)
- Awards: Pura Belpré Award (2013)
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