Divergent- Veronica Roth

I head about Divergent by Veronica Roth through some of my students. It is waitlisted at the public library, and I have a feeling it's going to be the next big thing. It is a dystopian young adult fiction {are you sensing a pattern?} with a female protagonist.

Here is the synopsis from Veronica Roth's Blog:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Loved:

• The class system by apptitude known as factions
• Names of different "factions"
• Story line kept me turning pages
• Romance that isn't a love triangle
• The essence of there being a bigger picture
• The fact that the book was engaging intellectually and superficially
• TRILOGY!

Loathed {disliked}:

• Violence for such young age groups
• The lack of understanding factions before they were to choose one

Overall I am obsessed with this book. I barely disliked any part of it. It kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen next. It reminds me a lot of The Hunger Games since it is dystopian and about the youths in a different USA than today.  The second book is called Insurgent, and I 'll have to admit I already finished it, loved it, & cannot wait to write about it! The third book is planned to come out next year, and I am dying to read it.This book is highly recommended! GO AND READ IT!

On a different note, here is next school year's booklist for my reading club. We decided to read "classics" this time around.What should I do for my free read???

·         To Kill a Mockingbird

·         The Great Gatsby

·         Catcher in the Rye

·         Of Mice and Men or The Pearl

·         And Then There Were None

·         Free read of your choice

Speaking of The Great Gatsby, the movie comes out in December! It is directed by the man who gave us Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet {The one with Clare Danes and Leonardo DeCaprio}

I'll leave you with this:

!!!!!

The Siren- Kiera Cass

After reading The Selection by Kiera Cass I was left wanting more! So, I went to her website & looked at her other published books. The Siren looked interesting enough.

Here is Kiera's description:
"You must never do anything that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are, essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won't lie to you, it can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All you have to give, for now, is obedience and time..."
The same speech has been given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now, patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a human, enters her world, she can't bring herself to live by the rules anymore. Suddenly the life she's been waiting for doesn't seem nearly as important as the one she's living now.

Loved:

• Sirens!
• Little Mermaid unrequited love
• Very descriptive of the lifestyle
• Easy read
• Kept me wanting to know what happened

Loathed{disliked}:

• Dragged on in the beginning
• Strange concept of life

I enjoyed this book, I think my middle schoolers would enjoy this book. It was definitely about something I had never imagined , and sort of made me think of The Little Mermaid and vampires all at the same time. I bought mine on my Kindle app, so go there to get it! Theres a free download on Kiera Cass's website if you want to read the first chapter.

Enjoy!

The Selection- Kiera Cass

I bought {& blogged about}The Selection by Kierra Cass yesterday. I started reading it around 9:30 pm and finished at 1:30 am. Needless to say, I really liked it!

I heard about this book through Read. Breathe. Relax. just two days ago, and just knew I would enjoy it. Like I've mentioned earlier, I feel like dystopian fictions are the new "it" genre. With The Hunger Games leading in the box office and topping the best sellers list, I can see that my students and even my friends enjoy this type of read as much as I do.

My description sans spoilers:
The Selection takes place in a future land called Illeya that is where The United States of America once was. After the 4th World War, China took over after years of us being indebited to them. The United States became The United States of China. Russia invaded, and then the people of what used to be the Americas revolted and became their own again. Not ever wanting the name we once had they named the country after George Illeya, the great leader, turned king, who started the revolt. Illeya is separated into castes or classes by number. One being the highest as royalty and eight being the lowest, poor, hungry, and jobless.

Prince Maxon is turning of age and is to begin The Selection Process. This public process happens when a prince comes of age and he is to begin choosing a wife. Any girl in between the ages on 16 and 20 can submit to be picked. One girl is picked from each area of the country and 36 total ge to move into the palace to comepete for his affections, or crown.

America Singer is a five who already found the love of her life, but sadly he is below her caste. Follow America as she endures The Selection with heart set on one man, while competing for the love of another.

Loved:

• Red-headed protagonist
• Chapters leave you hanging & wanting more
• Young forbidden love
• Caste system by numbers

Loathed {or more like disliked}:

• Hunger Games similarities (game show, selection, love triangle)
• Lack of true introduction of setting in the begininning
• Predictability

In the end I really enjoyed this book. I cannot wait for the next one in this series to come out! I hate this feeling, it's like the season of your favorite TV show. Since then I have picked up Kiera Cass' book called Siren. So far it's different, but it's keeping me interested!

Read on!

Cata

Dystopian is the new it genre

Ever since I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I've been really into dystopian books. Dystopian books are always based in a future nightmareish version of our world, where society has a big brother watching you. Think about Katniss, a young girl, having to fight for her life in the Hunger Games while the Capitol enjoys it as if it were the Olympics!

I follow Julie Fagan's blog Peanut Butter Fingers regularly, and yesterday I noticed she had a guest blogger. Her guest was Lisa, the author of Read. Breathe. Relax. {which are probably 3 of my favorite things to do} Her guest entry really caught my attention because she was recommending some books she recently read. Naturally I wandered over to her blog to check out what else she had to say. Her most recent entry is about The Selection by Kierra Cass. Lisa had this description posted:

“For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself- and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.”

Immediately I thought, ummm let me get on my Kindle app and see how much this books costs on Amazon! Then I proceeded to do exactly that. It cost me $9.99 and now I can read it on my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even PC at work.

What really caught my eye:

• The cover {don't judge me, but the cover reminds me of Narnia meets Hunger Games :)}
• Female protagonist
• Castes
• DYSTOPIAN
• There's a prince!
• Oh & did I mention its a trilogy?

I plan on starting this book pretty soon! I am a bit busy at this moment since I am currently reading Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. You may be familair with it because of the HBO series. I'll be sure to give you my insights on it this week!

Cata