First published 2011
Nailer crawls through the cramped passages of grounded oil tankers, stripping copper wire to meet his daily quota. Climate change has flooded America's Gulf Coast and left oil scarce. The teenage boy works these dangerous salvage operations just to survive another day in this brutal future. When a hurricane beaches an elegant clipper ship near his crew's territory, Nailer faces a choice that will define his life. He can strip the vessel for valuable parts like any other wreck, or he can save the wealthy girl trapped inside. She represents everything his world lacks: beauty, money, and the promise of escape from the ship breaking yards. But helping her means betraying his crew and the only life he has ever known. As Nailer weighs loyalty against opportunity, he must decide whether to grab this chance for a better future or stick with the harsh certainties of his current existence.
Genres: dystopia, adventure, post-apocalyptic, climate-change
Vibes: gritty, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: choice-and-consequence, found-family
Setting: America's Gulf Coast
Period: future
324 pages · Paperback · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: violence