I read this book about half a year ago, towards the beginning of the school year. It was summer homework for my school, and I thought it would be very boring and a hassle. This proved not to be true as I kept reading.

This book is about a young boy, Pi Patel, who is stranded out in the middle of the ocean on a lifeboat. He is stuck with a giant tiger and some other animals. The book shows the thought process of a shocked boy who just lost his family and needs to do everything in his power to survive.

Initially, everything was well for the Patel family. They owned the Pondicherry Zoo and lived a happy life. When they decided to move to Canada, Pi’s dad decided to move all of the zoo animals to Canada and then sell them for money. This proved difficult since the ship sank, leading to Pi being stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. I don’t want to spoil too much of what happens, but I personally thought the ending was fulfilling and that the book was very interesting.

One part I found particularly interesting was the fact that Pi was named after a swimming pool in Paris. Both of Pi’s parents were never too fond of swimming, but it was their family friend, whose favorite pool was the Piscine Molitor, who inspired them to name him that. I found it sad that the people at Pi’s school teased him by calling him “Pissing” instead of “Piscine,” but he dealt with the teasing really well and I loved how he responded to everyone, even the teacher.

Overall, I feel like this book is a great option for anyone who is looking for some good survival books. It was a lot of fun to read and there is a lot of action in the book. You will never get bored by this book!

– Albert X., 10th grade

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

This Summer, I read Life of Pi, an extraordinary story detailing the adventures and survival of Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who fell victim to a shipwreck, and was stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. This book was definitely a interesting one from my perspective, as it involves a diverse amount of characters, as well as plenty of symbolism to go with it.

I’ll try my best to avoid spoiling the book, although in describing the story, sometimes I can’t, so be aware, Spoilers Ahead! With that out of the way, the book begins with an author’s note, explaining how he was inspired to write the book because he met a mysterious man who would tell him a story that would make him “believe in god” However, it is later implied this is all part of the story.

At the start of his story, Pi would explain how he was brought up near a zoo owned by his father, as well as how he was always ridiculed for his original French name, the boys at school would often mispronounce “Piscine,” calling him names. to prevent this from happening in the future, he just told everybody to call him Pi. Later, he explains how he adheres to multiple religions, even asking to be baptized and to get a prayer rug at the same time, which is in my opinion one of the most interesting and unique parts of the book

As the years passed the family realized they couldn’t stay in India any longer. it was 1977, and the “emergency” declared by the government had no end, with traces of tyranny being shown through the leaders of Tamil Nadu, the Patels’ home state, being quietly placed into “house arrest”. Because of this, Pi’s family decided to make the decision to sell the animals and move to Canada.

Shortly after the Patels board the cargo ship Tsimtsum, it sinks, leaving Pi the only survivor along with a 300-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a wounded zebra, a hyena, and a female orangutan. during the first week, the zebra and orangutan fall one by one to the hyena, which is shortly after killed by Richard Parker. Pi learns to coexist with Richard Parker, eventually training him to some degree, making it relatively safe for them to be on the same boat. they pass trial after trial together, braving massive storms at sea, and eventually a man-eating island. after they leave the island, Pi “turns to god” and survives the rest of his long and arduous journey at sea.

I won’t spoil the ending of the book, because the story ends with another author’s note, structured like an interview between Pi and some investigators in an extremely unexpected way. All in all, this was a great book that will make anyone interested in reading the whole thing after a few pages!

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

This book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.

Hope. Trust. Faith. Courage. Remarkable. Inspiring. Amazing. The heart-warming book, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, reveals how close the bond between humans and animals is and how they can be commonly mistaken to be uncontrollable beasts. Yann Martel has won the Man Booker Prize and has sold over seven million copies. His work has been read across the world! Many people state that animals have no emotion and cannot control their feelings. However, Mr. Martel beautifully describes how this is untrue. This novel also shows how strong the connection between man and God can be.  Although our main character, Pi, is unable to see Him, he must still believe and never give up hope. This truly inspiring book is something you will not be able to put down.

An Indian boy named Piscine Patel, also know as Pi, lives with his family in India who own a zoo. Pi is involved in multiple religions and worships the gods whenever he can. He has always been engaged with the animals’ behaviors and feelings, while all his father sees are dangerous, untrustworthy beasts. Pi mentions how, “we commonly say in trade, that the most dangerous animal in a zoo is Man” (29) . He continuously tries to prove that animals are innocent and that it is not their fault if they injure somebody.

Now he and his family has make a decision to travel to Canada, but when their ship, the Tsimtsum, crashes, he is left on a lifeboat by himself with a group of untamed animals. Pi now has to figure out how he will survive with a 450-pound Bengal tiger, an orangutan, a zebra, and a hyena. “There was nothing. Only rain, marauding waves of black ocean and flotsam of tragedy” (107). For countless days, Pi continues to pray to God and keeps telling himself never to lose hope. But can man prevail against a huge Bengal tiger?

I was very pleased while reading this book. It felt as if I were really on the boat next to Pi and all of the animals. Yann Martel uses very emotional and descriptive words, adjectives, and figures of speech. He did a wonderful job illustrating a picture in my mind. This fantastic book taught me how powerful the connection between humans and our Lord can be.

Life of Pi is a great novel that has changed my view on how animals feel and how they can be loving and caring. This book also strengthened my understanding and belief in God. Life of Pi is an excellent example of classic literature and I would definitely recommend it!

-Kaitlin K., 7th grade