Freefall

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you were required to serve two years in the military once you've turned 18?

Aggie's eighteenth birthday is approaching, and as a teen in Israel, she must serve her time in the Israel Defense Force. Aggie doesn't want a boring job stuck in an office filing paperwork for two years. So she decides to try for a combat unit.

Aggie's mother is scared and sees her as weak, her friends aren't quite sure about her decision, and Aggie herself has her doubts about if she can really make it hauling sandbags, sleeping in a tent, and gaining enough weight to be considered. She's also developing a crush on her best friend's brother, and life is getting more and more confusing by the minute.

When war breaks out and rockets destroy a friend's house, Aggie decides she needs to be there to help out. But will she be brave enough and strong enough to make it through?

FREEFALL is an engaging look at teens facing military service.. Aggie may be in Israel, but her story is one that can resonate with teens everywhere. She has difficulty with her family, she has doubts about her abilities, and she's unsure about the future. It's easy to feel as though you're there with Aggie as she's struggling with her decisions and you want her to make it. The touch of romance with Noah added sweetness to the story and made Aggie's tale seem even more real to me.

Highly recommended for readers looking for a different take on the familiar coming-of-age tale.

grabs you and pulls you in

You won't find too many books about Israel's female combat soldiers. But they exist. And they're dedicated, tough and determined. They also worry about whether they're doing the right thing, wonder whether they can make it through training, and are as sensitive to the world around them as any other 18 year old. This is a well-told story about an interesting subject.

5 out of 5 Stars

Eighteen-year-old Abigail Jacobs is faced with two years in compulsory military service in the Israeli Defense Force. She has to gain weight, leave her childhood friends, and abandon fear to get what she wants.

What¿s worse is that her family doesn¿t believe that she could do it. Her friends are dumb-founded. Why would she do something like this? Can¿t she just work in an office?

When things start to play in the right direction: she is in love, her military unit goes a step higher¿. She finds herself in the midst of war. Now it is real.

This book was a wonderful read. I like how Author Anna Levine explained the feelings of a girl who is scared to be in love and war. Aggie is such a likeable character that I couldn¿t stop reading.

The Israeli Defense Force is an interesting topic and I was fascinated how well this book played out. This book takes place during the 2006 Lebanon War in Israel.

The way the people¿s emotions are described makes everything feel real, that their emotions are real. I like that Anna Levine picked a topic worth reading about. I enjoyed every minute while reading this book.

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No text was provided for this review.