Ship Breaker is a 2010

2010 in literature

The year 2010 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February - The Wheeler Centre, Australia's "literary hub", officially opened.*April 3 - First release of the Apple iPad, electronic book reading device....

 young adult

Young adult literature

Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...

 novel by Paolo Bacigalupi

Paolo Bacigalupi

Paolo Tadini Bacigalupi is an American science fiction and fantasy writer.He has won the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and was nominated for the National Book Award...

 set in a postapocalyptic future. It was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award

National Book Award

The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...

 for Young People's Literature and won the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award

Michael L. Printz Award

The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...

 and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book

Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book

Winners of the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book, awarded by the Locus magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year....

. It was also a nominee for the 2010 Andre Norton Award

Andre Norton Award

The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton , is a yearly juried award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to the author of an outstanding young adult science fiction or...

 for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy and was listed on American Library Association

American Library Association

The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....

's Young Adult Library Services Association

Young Adult Library Services Association

The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...

list: 2011 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list.

Plot summary

In a post-apocalyptic future, Nailer is a scavenger who works at stripping copper wiring from ancient shipwrecked oil tankers, giving over his findings to his crew boss simply so he can survive. When he and his friend Pima discover the wreck of a luxurious yacht after the passing of a hurricane they hope that somehow they can turn their find into a bit of luck that will make their futures safe and secure. In the process they also find a girl on the ship, barely alive. They work together until Nailer's father Richard Lopez captures them and wants to use the girl to get everything he's ever wanted. After escaping his father, Nailer and Pima learn more about the girl and how her uncle and father are at war right now.