The Crystal Drop by Monica Hughes

Hughes, M. (1992). The crystal drop. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

Summary

Due to the destruction of the ozone layer, and hard, dry, soil, Megan and her brother Ian must journey west to find their Uncle Greg. Venturing in the foothills they find themselves captured by a group of teenage boys, getting attacked by dogs and shot at by survivalists. Luckily Ian finds Mitch and Sadie, an elderly couple content living off the land and respecting its bounty. After staying until they heal, Megan and Ian use the map that Mitch drew to lead them to a waterfall. There they meet Gideon who takes them to their uncle.

Advisiory Information:

-Themes

a. Survival (man vs. nature, man vs. man): Megan and Ian must fight against the environment and the survivalists.

b. Man’s impact upon the environment: The author portrays a future where the overuse of crops has destroyed the soil. Additionally the land is desolate due to a depleted ozone layer. While the author does not explicitly state that humans caused this, there is an implication that could be global had something to do with it.

c. Family and human relations in a decaying society: Megan and Ian’s family dynamic is greatly altered with the dead of Megan’s mom. Megan now must take over the role of mother to her brother, Ian. Additionally, we see how people will stop at nothing to ensure their own survival.

d. Coming of Age story: Megan is forced to confront her insecurities and become a leader for her brother.

e. Kindness of strangers: When things get to be too tough for Megan and Ian end up finding aid in Mitch and Sadie in the mountains and Gideon when they are at the waterfall.

Age Recommendation:

Older Elementary to Early Junior High 4-6th graders.

Other Information:

Setting takes place in the future, in Canada’s prairie and along the Rocky Mountain foothills and ridgelines.

The Crystal Drop was awarded the Children's Book Centre Award in 1992, and the R. Ross Annett Award in 1993

Reactions:

The Crystal Drop is an easy, straightforward read for intermediate readers, there are no abstract literary devices and the word choice is simple. It should appeal to science fiction/fantasy readers due to its futuristic setting. Overall the plot is predictable and unoriginal, and while it is not a bad book, it just seems to be an example of what young adult literature used to be.