Title: ATLANTIA
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Children’s (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Number of Pages: 368
Source of Book: ARC from Publisher at ALA

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?
        For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.
        Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

My Thoughts:
I was very much looking forward to Ally Condie‘s follow up to the Matched series, and although I wasn’t as enamored with Atlantia as I was the first series, I still enjoyed reading it for it’s uniqueness and heart and engaging writing style. I will definitely be handing this off to students this fall. It seems a bit of a quieter book (perhaps having to do with the underwater location), and has themes of religion and persecution and acceptance and trust and truth and family and determination and corruption and environmentalism and self-reliance woven throughout within a well-built world.

Because I ended up with a second advanced copy of Ally Condie’s new book, Atlantia, in the mail (Thanks, Penguin Classroom!!),  I’m giving away an early ARC to one reader. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: THE 5th WAVE

Author: Rick Yancey
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Number of Pages: 457
My detailed thoughts/recommendation

     The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.
     After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
     Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Title: WHEN YOU WERE HERE

Author: Daisy Whitney
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Number of Pages: 264
My detailed thoughts/recommendation

     Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity. 
     Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.
     Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.
     When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

Title: THE TESTING

Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Number of Pages: 336
My detailed thoughts/recommendation

     Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same? 
     The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career. 
     Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies–trust no one. 
     But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

Title: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Number of Pages: 320
My detailed thoughts/recommendation

     Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.
     So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.
     She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Title: THE TESTING
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: ARC from bookseller in anticipation of author visit

Keep your friends close
and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too
close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War
left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the
next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this
elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a
college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored
to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a
University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on
the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to
her upcoming studies–trust no one.

But surely she can trust
Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who
seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and
deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love
without truth or life without trust.

First Thought: Oh my goodness!

SO good! An engrossing, thrilling, intriguing, suspenseful story set in a well-built future world.

I really enjoyed reading THE TESTING. I was engrossed it in from the start. At first, I was a little worried that it would be too reminiscent of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT, but as I got into it, I realized that it was completely it’s own creation of this world, while maybe feeling like an homage to those great dystopians that have come before it.

It was so hard to put THE TESTING down. Joelle Charbonneau wrote a well-paced plot, and once I got to certain parts throughout, it was impossible not to keep reading so that I could find out what would happen and who would survive. I very much liked the main character, Cia, and was pulling for her throughout the book. She is smart, while still being young and sometimes making decisions that made me want to yell at her, but her intelligence and insights are what keep her going. In a game of who can you trust, she learns to really think through all situations, but that doesn’t mean she figures all of it out. In a contest of who can make a great leader, it is difficult to know exactly what the officials might be looking for, but staying true to oneself and one’s upbringing can always been seen as the right path. Cia’s path is not easy, her decisions are not easy, her ability to live with herself after what she has to do to survive will not be easy, but she stays true to herself which is an admirable quality.

The world-building was done well in giving the reader enough information when necessary, but also keeping us guessing about some things. The scenes of explanation are smoothly entrenched in what is happening in the story and propel the plot forward, but also give us enough insight into how things might have come to be this way. The overall idea behind The Testing is so smart, and so manipulative, and scary at the same time. I just hope all of the characters that I have come to like will make it through this series.

And, yes, there is an element of romance, but in a brutal contest that is set up to kill off candidates who are not worthy, and a system that is set up to make you question the ulterior motives of everyone around you, and in a world in which all may not be as it seems, how can one be sure of anything that happens during The Testing or trust one’s own memories? That remains to be seen.

Final Thoughts: I’m calling it now – I think this is going to be the next big dystopian series…it will at least fill that hole left behind from the end of the The Hunger Games and the upcoming end of the Divergent series.

Title: THE PROGRAM
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Number of Pages: 416
Source of Book: ARC from Publisher

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane
knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an
international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the
only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one
child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also
knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank
slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under
constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave
face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person
Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both
safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough
to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other,
it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker.
Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Title: DUALED
Author: Elsie Chapman
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: Febrary 26, 2013
Number of Pages: 304
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at NCTE

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The
city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high.
Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and
citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their
twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job,
marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a
fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will
have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep
shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer
certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a
future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running
not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the
power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman’s suspenseful YA debut weaves
unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and
thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will
begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and
every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

First Thought: So much suspense! Could not stop reading until I found out how it would end.

DUALED was an intense, kill or be killed, fight to the finish. I had to keep turning pages to know what was going to happen with West and which Alt would survive the final confrontation. The basis of this world where each is born with an Alt and gets “activated” sometime between 10 and 20, and then has only 30 days to hunt down and kill the Alt, or be killed, or both be destroyed after the time ends lends itself to a ticking clock of suspense in the background driving the momentum of the whole story.

In a world full of killers and surrounded by guns, are you the hunted or the hunter, or both at the same time? Which one will be smarter, stronger, or just luckier in the end? When 50% of the population must be killed off, can you ever feel safe with your family and friends, or know that they’ll stay around? All of these drive the plot of this story in this dystopic future, which I want to know even more about.

We’re given glimpses into the world, and how it came to be, and what might be outside, and what led to them being there, and who might be against the way they live…which makes me so glad there is a sequel coming in 2014 so we can find out what happens next. Although I figured I knew how the story would have to end, that didn’t stop my heart from pounding, my gasping out loud, or my yelling at the characters to stay safe and smart and not give up. I enjoyed spending this time with West and Chord, and although it was frightening at times, it was a well-developed world that was created down to the tiniest details of how things operate for idles vs. actives vs. completes.


Final Thoughts: So glad there’s going to be a sequel to this “HUNGER GAMES to the nth degree meets…something” world of this story.

Title: BOT WARS
Author: J.V. Kade
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: March 21, 2013
Number of Pages: 368
Source of Book: ARC from author

Twelve-year-old Trout St. Kroix has been searching for his missing father for the last two years, after his dad disappeared while fighting in the Bot Wars. The Bot Wars began after robots became so advanced that they revolted and demanded more workers’ rights, causing the government to declare all robots terrorists and ban them from the Districts. Trout never questioned anything the government told him–even when his own nanny bot was banished–until a vid he posts about his missing dad goes viral and new information pops up. At first Trout is wrenched his dad might be alive, but when his brother disappears, Trout learns nothing is what it seems . . . not even his own father.

Percy Jackson meets Transformers in this heart-stopping, futuristic adventure that will make you question everything you know–and look at robots in a whole new light

I’ve already shown this to two of my middle school boys in class, and had them read the summary to see what they thought, and they both said they would read the book because it sounds good to them.

BOT WARS by J.V. Kade (who also writes YA as Jennifer Rush-ALTERED) is an intriguing sci-fi look into the future. The robots are advanced, as is the American society, but is it really all as it seems? In true dystopic fashion, the main character finds out maybe he doesn’t know as much as he thought he did, and maybe there are some people out there fighting against the government that created a “better” world. There are intriguing allegories that can be made about slavery/working class and how those groups are treated.

In BOT WARS, Kade has created an exciting book full of non-stop action that has a bit of a rescue/heist feeling to it. It is an enjoyable, suspenseful read. It’s full of fun characters – both human and robot – who are very entertaining. But what really makes the heart of this book are the family ties that make it an even stronger book than just the story of the robots vs. humans. Beyond all of the fighting and political aspects, it’s about a young boy searching for the father he has been missing for two years, and his inability to give up hope that he’s out there somewhere just waiting to be found and reunited with him. A boy needs his dad, and a dad needs his son…but how can they each keep each other safe in a world of robots? This is an action-packed, cleverly imagined middle grade book with strong boy appeal. Hand this off to those who want futuristic books, those who love science-fiction, and those who would like reading a book about a boy who won’t give up hope.

Title: DIVERGENT
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (a HarperCollins imprint)
Release Date:  May 3, 2011
Number of Pages: 487

In Beatrice Prior’s
dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out
the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical
tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with
devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must
determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with
a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her
seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help
her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Title: REQUIEM (Book 3 in the DELIRIUM series)

Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Number of Pages: 400
Source of Book: ARC from publisher (Thanks HarperCollins School & Library!)

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

First thought: Satisfying ending to this series
-Different from DELIRIUM and PANDEMONIUM, I loved the dual perspective voices of Lena and Hana – gave a great insight into what was going on outside the walls in the Wilds and inside the walls with the Cureds.
-The way Lauren Oliver used the length of chapters to enhance the suspense and urgency in climactic parts or the complacency in other parts was masterful…also the way the chapters end and the next one starts is seamless and helps the story flow so well.
–Lauren Oliver’s writing style is beautiful and literary and pulls me into the story and the setting.
-I’ve enjoyed this entire series and the whole idea of this society and amor being a disease…it’s an interesting commentary on the way feelings can interfere with thinking.
-The way the whole storyline comes together in the end and we see how Lena and Hana learn the lessons they learn and have their new perspectives on the world and their lives was great…especially in thinking about the choices we make in life and what those may mean for us.
-You know going into it that hearts might get broken, but the whole time you’re a little unsure of whose hearts those may be and some may surprise you—of course, that’s what happens when you choose love over a lobotomy.
-Dealing with very broken characters here who have had their worldview completely shaken and they have to figure out how to survive in a new world.
Final thought: The things we would do for those we love…

Title: UNRAVEL ME (sequel to SHATTER ME)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Number of Pages: 480
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at ALA

Juliette’s world is beginning to unravel.
Everything is falling apart changing. 

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point-the headquarters of the rebel resistance. There she discovers other people with abilities. Abilities they have learned to control. And for the first time in her life, Juliette has hope. Hope that she can have a life with Adam. Hope that her touch can be used to save instead of destroy.

But Juliette is only just beginning to understand the depth of her power, and she’s struggling to fight the desire to use it. She’s still haunted by her past, terrified for her future, and too tempted by Warner, who still wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible. 

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart-and Adam’s life.

I am not ok. Reading UNRAVEL ME was an intense experience of emotional upheaval. I was angry I was blown away I was amazed I was hopeful I was hurt I was shocked I was upset I was having to take breaks because the emotion was so intense. I read it 400 pages in one day because I couldn’t leave these characters until the end. The title is appropriate because I felt just as unraveled by this book as many of the characters did throughout.

Quick Take: I LOVE Tahereh Mafi’s unique writing. I’m emotionally invested in her characters. I hate what some (okay, fine, maybe only one thing one) of them did. This book destroyed me (but in a good way)-it tore me up and then mostly stitched me back together. UNRAVEL ME is an intense reading experience.

Writing style: Tahereh Mafi has this incredibly unique (and effective!) writing style. I loved it in SHATTER ME, and I love it even more in UNRAVEL ME. Emotions swirl off the page and into my psyche. There
is so much going on internally in this book with these characters, and I
was sucked right into it because of the way in which it’s written. There is a bit of a stream-of-consciousness to the style and I am drawn to that. It makes for a sense of urgency and confusion and heart-which is what’s happening in the book. It makes the internalness of the conflict for Juliette even stronger because we are so in her head by how it’s written. Mafi also has the most brilliant and effective use of personification I’ve ever read. The way in which she describes things and the figurative language she uses just speaks to me and draws me into this world.

Characters: OK, so the thing is I care a lot about these characters. I feel as if I’ve been through the rough times with them and I want them to come out on the other side more complete. And that really shows the genius of Tahereh Mafi’s writing. That being said, I do NOT agree with all of the decisions that they make (one in particular)! I get that they’ve gone through hell and back and that they’re confused and tortured, but still, there are some things that I just can’t agree with no matter how angst-filled the teenager is. OK. Rant over. Beyond that it is really showing the psychological damage done to Juliette and Adam and Warner because of the situations they’ve been forced into throughout their lives-and things aren’t being made any easier for any of them in this book. UNRAVEL ME seems to really be about Juliette’s ability to figure out how to harness her strength and become a more stable person. She needs to decide who she wants to be and how to get there. She needs to learn to rely on others to help support her, but to find her strength on her own as well. While all of that is going on, we’re also discovering sympathies for some of the other characters as well as we get to know more details about what they went though. I still think Kenji is one of my all-time favorite “sidekick” characters-he brings the much-needed comic relief to the story, but also is the one to put it all in perspective and keep the focus on what it should be. And he’s a good friend.  I’m glad we get so much Kenji in this book and hope we get even more in the next.

Plot: The one thing that UNRAVEL ME has that SHATTER ME didn’t is more outside world building. We get to understand how their world came to be the way it is, and a little bit more about these special powers some people have. There is a battle brewing with the resistance and it’s going to come to a head. But, this book overall seems to be more about the characters to me. There is a major plot point in this book that I really didn’t like. I have to put that out there. It’s alluded to in the synopsis above, and I don’t want to spoil anything too much, but I think it could be kind of controversial to readers and I’ll be interested to hear more thoughts about whether people liked it or not. Personally, I get it-the writing and the emotion and the thoughts and the scenes Mafi used leading up to it help me to intellectually get it, but my heart and emotions and soul are not accepting of it. This book is full of emotion, and I think that is the stronger part of the book even over the plot of what’s happening. However, if a book can make me feel so much, it has to be a strong story and writing (which I think it is).

Teacher/Parental Warning: This book is not so appropriate for middle schoolers in my opinion. There are certain scenes that are pretty intense/descriptive, so this one won’t go in my classroom library. The 14 and up categorization by the publisher is pretty accurate in my mind.

So, yes, if you liked SHATTER ME, you’ll definitely want to read UNRAVEL ME. I recommend setting aside some time come February because this is a book that will likely be hard to put down once you start. Based on the ending and where everyone ends up and the thoughts of Juliette on the last page, it’s going to be a long wait to get my hands on book three!

Title: SCARLET (Lunar Chronicles #2, sequel to CINDER)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (a Macmillan imprint)
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Number of Pages: 464
Source of Book: Signed ARC from publisher at ALA

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling
Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if
she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway
around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out
there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and
the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet
encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her
grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he
clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.

As Scarlet and Wolf
work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths
with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious
Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her
king, her prisoner.

I think I enjoyed SCARLET even more than CINDER. Much of that has to do with the way Marissa Meyer wrote the characters of Scarlet and Wolf and how much I enjoyed reading their parts of the story. I do love a story told in multiple voices, and the way in which the stories of Scarlet and Cinder started off on opposite sides of the wold and slowly worked their way together was well done. However, I was enjoying Scarlet and Wolf so much early on that I rushed through the Cinder chapters a little bit to get back to the ones I was enjoying more. As it went on though, I remembered why I liked Cinder, especially with her new sidekick (who is quite entertaining), and as I saw how it was all coming together, it was hard to stop reading.

The way Marissa Meyer has created this world in which her characters live, and how their stories are all coming together (and will continue to do so in the final two books of the series) is intriguing to me as a reader. It is a complicated, well-drawn world, but it has characters that I really start to care about quite a bit. These characters are flawed and scared and insecure, but they are girls who become strong in their struggles. Both Scarlet and Cinder are having to become stronger than they every imagined they would have to as they find out more and more about what’s going on in their larger world. They also sometimes have to rely on and sometimes have to save those who are traveling this journey with them.

One of the most interesting things about this story is the way that Meyer weaves in elements of the original fairy tale, but in a totally modern twisty way. If you read CINDER, I absolutely recommend that you read SCARLET. I enjoyed seeing where Cinder’s story is headed with the new information she learned at the end of the first book, and I was drawn even more into the story by the introduction of Scarlet and Wolf and the discoveries that are made with the two of them and everything they have to go through in this story. I can’t wait to see where they all end up in the next book, CRESS, based on Rapunzel, coming in 2014, and then WINTER, based on Snow White , in 2015. It’ll be a long wait, but if this book is any indication, it will be worth it.

Title: THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT (sequel to UNDER THE NEVER SKY)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Number of Pages: 352
Source of Book: ARC from the fantastic Harper Collins School & Library reps during the “Day of Awesomeness” at NCTE

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

I was absolutely enamored with Veronica Rossi‘s debut book, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, and it stuck with me for a long time, so I was very anxious to get the sequel, THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT. I loved this second book too, most especially being back in this world with these characters. THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT has the same beautiful writing and imagery
and unique world-building from the first book, but we find out even
more about how this world came to be and what might be going on as it
disintegrates even further.

So much of this story is about the family relationships and how they affect Aria and Perry and Roar and everyone else that has been dependent on their families to help them survive in this environment. As we begin to delve deeper into these stories and what’s happening with these characters, Rossi also gives us more detail about how this world came to be the way it is and the difficulties the people are truly facing in this environment. There is real life or death at stake here and it makes everything feel that much more urgent and every moment more suspenseful.

Rossi has written a series that is truly a love story at it’s heart, and things are not easy for Aria and Perry, as they are both wanting to look out for each other, and be together, but that may not be what’s actually best for either one of them. Perry is coming into his own as a leader of his tribe, one of what I feel is the strongest elements of the book, which means having an “outsider” at his side may not be beneficial. And, of course, there are other side plots happening that require attention from each of them. I really just want them to get over themselves and stop trying to protect each other
and just be together to protect themselves together. They do support
each other so much though and it’s obvious they’re meant to be, it just might not be easy to get there.

The plot for this story is well done for a second book, with quite a lot going on, while at the end still leaving it clear where it’s headed for the third book, INTO THE STILL BLUE. I know I’ll be anxiously waiting to get my hands on the final book in this trilogy to see where they all end up.

Title: PRODIGY (sequel to LEGEND)
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Number of Pages: 371
Source of Book: ARC from author signing ALA

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—-June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

I really loved LEGEND when I read it last year, and many of my students did as well, so I was eagerly anticipating getting to read PRODIGY. I was so excited when I saw that Marie Lu would be at ALA signing books, and I got in line early to buy another copy of LEGEND and get an advanced copy of PRODIGY. Little did I realize I would be in for a heart-pounding, pit-in-my-stomach, anxiety-filled ride through this book…and I didn’t want it to end. But it had to, and it was heart-breaking. I so want to know what is going to happen to these characters next and where Marie Lu’s imagination is going to take this story.

Ten Things I Hate/Love About PRODIGY
*Okay, fine, it’s not really hate, it’s really love/love even more, but that didn’t have the same flow to the wording or parallel structure or interest for creating this list*
1. It was impossible to stop reading, but it’s exciting because the action never stops
2. The political intrigue and never knowing if I could trust the politicians, but it was intriguing and made for an important plot for this second book in the series
3. It had me full of anxiety, my heart was pounding the whole time I was reading it
4. Trust issues with some of my beloved characters, but they’re still with each other and fighting for each other
5. All is not as it seems, but we get to learn so much more about the Republic and the Colonies and all that is going on in this world with travel from LA to Vegas and then Denver
6. I was an emotional wreck, but it has so much emotion because I care about these characters
7. The characters have to go through so much, can’t they catch a break and be happy?, but the motivation is always about families and protecting their own
8. Seemed to be lots of foreshadowing, but where has their information been coming from…I just wasn’t exactly sure where it would end up, so it was surprising
9. Marie Lu broke my heart in the end – it was shocking and unexpected and expected all at the same time, but I want my characters to be happy, but I have to trust in the author that they will be and this is the journey they’re meant to go on
10. I was left with so many questions: (Will the Republic fall? Will the United States unite and become whole again? Will June and Day both be OK? So many questions & emotions!) and now I have to wait SO long for the third book, but I’m so excited and anxious for the final chapter in this series!

Oh, this book. It is so good. It is emotional. It is frustrating. It is so good. I loved it, and I hope you do too. If you haven’t read LEGEND yet, go get it because you’re going to want to read this series, and you can get PRODIGY at the end of January!

Title: THE UNWANTEDS: ISLAND OF SILENCE (2nd book in the series)
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Aladdin (a Simon & Schuster imprint)
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Number of Pages: 416
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at ALA

The battle is over. The
magical barrier between the dreary land of Quill and the fantastical
world of Artimé is gone. Now residents of both places are free to
mingle, but tensions are high. The artistic warriors of Artimé struggle
to forgive those in Quill who condemned them to death, while the
Quillens attempt to recover from the shock of Artime’s existence, the
loss of their leader, and the total collapse of their safe, orderly
world.

14-year-old Alex Stowe has recovered from his physical
wounds since his death-defying role in Artime’s victory, but his
confidence is shattered. He battles self-doubt after Artimé’s beloved
mage, Mr. Today, makes a stunning request, which is further complicated
by the mysterious arrival of two silent, orange-eyed teenagers.

Meanwhile
in Quill, Aaron is devastated by his fall from grace and seething with
anger toward his twin brother Alex. Spurred by rage, Aaron recruits a
team of Restorers and devises a masterful plan of revenge that will
return him to power…if no one gets in his way.

Bestselling author
Lisa McMann delivers another trademark page-turner in this second book
of The Unwanteds series, as Alex and Aaron’s parallel stories ultimately
come together for a shocking climax that will leave readers desperate
for more.

I really loved THE UNWANTEDS when I read it last year – it’s a great mix of dystopian and fantasy in a spot-on voice that Lisa McMann wrote with for her first jump from young adult (which are also great) to middle grades books. It is also highly engaging and makes a great book talk opportunity to hook middle schoolers with the premise of kids being “sent off to their deaths” for being creative in any way. Knowing all of that, I was eagerly anticipating the release of ISLAND OF SILENCE to find out what would happen to Alex and his friends and the magical land of Artime now that Quill knew of their existence. I was not disappointed.

From the very start, I was drawn right back into this fantastically creative, yet at times frightening, world that Lisa McMann has created with this series. I didn’t have any of that feeling of trying to remember what happened in the last book that I read over a year ago. All of the favorite characters were back including the magical creatures that Mr. Today created. While the Artimeans are figuring out how to handle everyone knowing about them, we alternate chapters with Aaron back in Quill and his continuous struggle to gain power back and eliminate his twin brother and all of the magic. Aaron is systematic and smart and frightening in his single-minded focus on ridding Quill of Artime. Meanwhile we have many characters who we don’t know if we can trust because they’re acting suspiciously, and a few who seem to be “double agents” but we’re never really sure. As we get further into this story, there doesn’t seem to be such a clear-cut right or wrong way to act for many of these characters. In addition, we’re introduced to the islands outside of the one these characters all live on, now that they know there is more beyond where they exist, and find out there may be more evils out there than even exist in Quill.

Along with all of the external battle going on, Alex has his own internal battle to contend with. He just doesn’t see himself as the leader that he needs to be and others want him to be, and he has to figure things out. Because Alex’s own twin has turned out so evil, and his own parents don’t want anything to do with him, he does feel very alone. This is where the creatures of Artime come even more into play as Simber and Ms. Octavia and Ms. Morning and Florence and Clive and the others all become the support system that he needs. My absolute favorite scene of the entire book comes on pages 168-169. It exemplifies the battle that Alex is having with himself, and why he feels the way he does, and what Artime means to him. I adore that scene (and I love Simber!) so much it has stuck with me for days.

It seems such a universal feeling for kids (and some adults) to want to feel included and able and believed in and supported and to have someone who will always be there for you. This book has that universal theme of needing someone to believe in you throughout. As Mr. Today says, “There will always be times we struggle, make bad decisions, even fail. What’s important is not that we fail, but that we learn and grow. And that we know that there is always someone out there who believes in us” (p. 250). That’s the type of book quote I want to always remember and post on my classroom wall. This kind of message, along with all of the excitement of the story, but with this at its heart, is part of the reason that I love this series.

Overall this book was a strong second book in a uniquely creative series with action, emotion, plot, excitement, characters, and heart that draw the reader in. The ending definitely left me hanging though, and I am dying to read the next book to find out what happens with Alex and Artime next. I was left heartbroken by the events toward the end of ISLAND OF SILENCE, but hopeful at the same time. That’s a pretty good place to be left in an engaging book series.

I don’t know for sure how many books will end up being in this series, but I do know absolutely for sure that I will be reading them all and sharing them with my students as well. This is a series that should be in every middle school classroom and book-talked for students to snatch it up. Just this week one of my students picked up the first book because he loved THE HUNGER GAMES and HARRY POTTER and since THE UNWANTEDS is touted as a combination of the two, he wanted to read it for sure. The next day he walked up to me hold the book in his hand and said, “This is the best book I’ve ever read in my whole life.” No higher praise than that!

Title: A MILLION SUNS (sequel to ACROSS THE UNIVERSE)
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: January 10, 2011
Number of Pages: 386
Source of Book: Bought the Hardcover on release day

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It’s
been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is
over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship
Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of
the ship. He’s finally free to enact his vision – no more Phydus, no
more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship,
he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They
must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of
years earlier, unable to fight the romance that’s growing between them
and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of
the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth
Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with
action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this
time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off
this ship.

It’s been so long since I read the first book, and I’ve read so many similar books in between that I couldn’t remember how much I really liked the world that Beth has created here, but boy do I ever! I’m really glad I went back to this series. It picked up right where ACROSS THE UNIVERSE left off and sucked me right back into the story. It was suspenseful, and there’s tension and secrets and philosophical dilemmas and reveals and manipulations and surprises, and it all makes an engaging story. I was definitely surprised by what ultimately happened in this story. If you read the first book, you’ll definitely want to read this sequel so you can continue the story with Amy and Elder and the Godspeed. Their relationship is intriguing and the world is engaging and there is realistic tension in this space science-fiction story as they fight to survive and discover things about their ship that they never could have imagined. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the final book in the trilogy with SHADES OF EARTH in January!

About POSSESSION: Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think
about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more
than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match,
how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed
the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But
the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi
to become one of them…starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can’t leave
Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion,
especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical,
charismatic, and dangerous–everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust
Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

About SURRENDER: Raine
has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After
all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him
that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one
else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All
of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason
in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when
she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine
has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father
expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning
to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden,
and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting
to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the
rebel Jag Barque…. 

I first posted this review in November after I read INSIGNIA. I’m reposting now because it comes out in one week and I don’t want you to miss it!

Title: INSIGNIA

IT’S WORLD WAR III.

THE ENEMY IS WINNING.

WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT’S SECRET WEAPON IS YOU?

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his
shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino
to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival.
Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of
skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his
virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the
Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for
combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member
of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in
World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war
machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams
of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends,
the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action
matters—but what will it cost him?

Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a
debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision
of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of
humanity and technology.

Title: STRUCK
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (a Macmillan imprint)
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Number of Pages: 373
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at IRA Convention & NetGalley

Mia Price is a lightning
addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to
the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around
her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the
few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake
devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos
and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a
crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty
building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force
they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as
the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a
connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to
the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to
trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her,
but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and
power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the
final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her
strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

STRUCK is one of Macmillan’s Fierce Reads for this summer and I can see why as it is a fast-paced, suspenseful novel full of action, heart, a little bit of mystical magic, and heat. It takes place over a four day period of time in a Los Angeles that has been destroyed by an earthquake. Mia is a tortured character dealing with trying to keep her little family together and the aftereffects of the multiple lightning strikes she has suffered. She is the key cog in a wheel of good vs. bad and the people who are trying to save/destroy the world, and both sides are trying to recruit/control her. So that all sounds really big, but at its heart, this is the story of a girl just trying to figure out how to keep herself together and to choose/make her own destiny.

Jennifer Bosworth has written an engaging story that takes on issues of religion, beliefs, family loyalty, and finding one’s own path…and looks at what choices one would make to keep oneself together. She has written STRUCK in a way that keeps the action moving and the pacing made me want to keep reading and turning pages to find out what would happen next. The characters were drawn in a way that made me want to help them, and I wanted things to work out for them. She has also built a world that looks at what people would do and which direction they would turn to comfort themselves after a devastating natural disaster. In the midst of all of this, Mia meets Jeremy who she’s not quite sure about in the beginning, and who is a positive male character even if he is tortured himself. Although I did predict a few of the reveals toward the end, I still really enjoyed reading my way to them. I look forward to seeing what Jennifer Bosworth will come out with next!

Title: ARTICLE 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: Janurary 31, 2012
Number of Pages: 364
Source of Book: Finished hardcover signed at the Tor booth at the IRA Convention

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don’t come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

So I’m a little torn with this book. One the one hand, once I got into it I couldn’t stop reading it. I was sneaking it in and staying up too late to keep reading. On the other hand, I didn’t completely connect with the characters in the beginning and the writing style felt a little stilted and obvious to me. Also, I felt it was pretty predictable. ARTICLE 5 has an intriguing premise for a dystopian, and I do love dystopian books, and I had a lot of hope for where it would go, but it felt more like a road-tripping story for much of the book, so I struggled with figuring out how I really felt.

I really liked the parts where it was more about fighting against the governmental system. The bad guys were definite baddies (including the government overall!), but sometimes I wasn’t sure if a new (or old) character would turn out to really be bad or good, which is a good thing. I did connect more with the characters after the halfway point of the book, and I was invested in them getting past their own individual demons to see what they have with each other. The relationship between Ember and Chase had me wanting to root for them, wanting to scream at them, and wanting to cry for them alternatingly throughout the book. And I really had a hard time putting it down after I got to a certain point, and then I was sneaking in every minute of reading that I could so I could find out what would happen. Both Ember and Chase have some deep emotional journeys they need to travel in this book, and by the end, I was excited to see where they would go next.

Overall, I will definitely get the next book, BREAKING POINT, to find out what will happen, especially since I was left with a bit of a feeling of this book being longer than it necessarily needed to be – by the end I felt like it was really a big book of exposition setting things up for an entire series. I really liked Ember’s strength and determination by the end of the book, and I do adore my tragic heroes and Chase definitely fits that bill, so I want to know what is going to happen in their lives next, now that I think the real action will be starting.

I’m kind of between recommending and highly recommending this book. As I write about it, I feel like my rating gets higher as I think back over all of the things I liked, but the writing style and the difficulty really connecting and the predictability makes me want to lower it a little. So, since I can’t decide, I’m putting both. I shared these thoughts with my students today and asked if someone would read it and let me know a student’s thoughts. It was snapped up right away by one as soon as I mentioned the angsty romance aspect. Can’t wait to hear what a teen thinks.

This is the list of dystopian titles (in no particular order) that will be shared with my class for them to choose from to participate in the dystopian book club. (all titles link to goodreads so you can add them to your list)
~~~Books I’ve read – Ask me about them!~~~
THE HUNGER GAMES / CATCHING FIRE / MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins
THE
GIVER by Lois Lowry
DIVERGENT / INSURGENT by
Veronica Roth
DELIRIUM / PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver
THE MAZE RUNNER / THE SCORCH TRIALS / THE DEATH CURE by James Dashner
UGLIES / PRETTIES / SPECIALS / EXTRAS by Scott Westerfeld
MATCHED / CROSSED by Ally Condie
EPIC by Conor Kostick
SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi
UNWIND / UNWHOLLY by Neal Shusterman
LEGEND by Marie Lu
EYE OF THE STORM by Kate Messner
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi
SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi
CINDER by Marissa Meyer
INSIGNIA by S.J. Kincaid
THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann
BRAIN JACK by Brian Faulkner
NAUGHTS & CROSSES by Malorie Blackman
LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow
THE UNIDENTIFIED by Rae Mariz
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE / A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson
BIRTHMARKED / PRIZED by Caragh M. O’Brien
SURVIVING ANTARCTICA: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White
GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise Haines
INCARCERON / SAPPHIQUE by Catherine Fisher
BLACK HOLE SUN by David Macginnis Gill
RASH by Pete Hautman
CANDOR by Pam Bachorz
FEED by M.T. Anderson
GONE by Michael Grant
CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne DuPrau
MEMENTO NORA by Angie Smibert
GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan
 
~~~Books listed below are ones I haven’t read yet~~~
ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE by Gabrielle Zevin
POSSESSION by Elana Johnson
BLOOD RED ROAD by Moira Young
THE GARDENER by S.A. Bodeen
THE LIMIT by Kristen Landon
SKINNED by Robin Wasserman
INSIDE OUT by Maria V. Snyder
THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick
Ness
THE FOREST OF THE HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie
Ryan
EMPTY by Suzanne
Weyn
THE LINE by Teri Hall
AMONG THE HIDDEN by Margaret Peterson
Haddix
ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card
THE DECLARATION by Gemma Malley
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND by Allegra
Goodman
THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman
Philbrick
THE BAR CODE TATTOO
by Suzanne Weyn
NOMANSLAND by Lesley Hauge
ENCLAVE by Ann Aguirre
THE ROAR by Emma Clayton
TRASH by Andy
Mulligan
ROT & RUIN / DUST AND DECAY by Jonathan Maberry
ASHFALL by Mike Mullin
A LONG, LONG SLEEP by Anna Sheehan
DARK PARTIES by Sara Grant
STARTERS by Lissa Price
WITHER by Lauren DeStefano
SOLSTICE by P.J. Hoover
PURE by Julianna Baggott
EVE by Anna Carey
DARK LIFE by Kat Falls
AWAKEN by Katie Kacvinsky
THE WAY WE FALL by Megan Crewe
THE PREDICTEDS by Christine Seifert
THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass
PARTIALS by Dan Wells
SCORED by Lauren McLaughlin
VARIANT by Robinson Wells
EPITAPH ROAD by David Patneaude
ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons
UNISON SPARK by Andy Marino
THE PLEDGE by Kimberly Derting
THE COMET’S CURSE by Dom Testa
THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch

~~~Classics~~~
FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
1984 by George Orwell
BRAVE NEW WORLD by ALdous Huxley
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

~~~Books coming out later this year, and will possibly be added for next year’s list~~~
CHOSEN ONES by Tiffany Truitt (June)
THE FORSAKEN by Lisa M. Stasse (July)
GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu (August)
YESTERDAY by C.K. Kelly Martin (September)
CREWEL by Gennifer Albin (October)ELEMENTAL by Antony John (November)
LEVEL 2 by Lenore Appelhans (January 2013)
FROZEN (THE OTHER LAND CHRONICLES) by Melissa de la Cruz (2013)

Comment away if I’ve missed any titles that I missed that should be included or if there are any you recommend I put at the top of my to-read pile! I’d love to hear what your favorites are or which ones you’re most looking forward to reading as well!

Title: INSURGENT (sequel to DIVERGENT)
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 1, 2012 (not too far away!)
Number of Pages: 544
Source of Book: ARC from Editor of Awesome, Molly O’Neill, Thank you!

One choice can transform
you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as
unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue
trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting
questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and
love.

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by
celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended
with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions
and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen,
secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and
even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by
haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting
relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does
not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times
bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the
dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a
story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful
insights about human nature.

I feel the need to release a deep breath after reading INSURGENT. The whole time I felt breathless and nervous and anxious and tense and completely engrossed from start to finish. INSURGENT moves at a breakneck pace with constant twists and turns from the very beginning, starting mere hours after the first book ended (which I loved!) and with a sense of urgency to the writing and plotting that makes absolute sense for the literal life and death situations these characters find themselves in. This book is just as fast-paced and action-packed as the first, with moments of comedic relief and
sass, but then the next page smacked me across the face with an
unexpected twist. Veronica Roth is a creative and talented writer in the ways she keeps
the reader guessing, and I think this book was stronger than the first.
It was also interesting because of the look we get inside the other
factions that we didn’t see as much of in the first book. The events at
the end of DIVERGENT changed their world completely, and now they all
have to figure out how they will deal with it (and by the way, I did reread DIVERGENT right before I read this one, and I was glad I did). And we are again taken back to landmarks in Chicago that we know, but are seen through a slightly different lens of this dystopic future. We still don’t totally know how it became this way, but there are more clues in this second book, and I can only imagine the third will be even more eye-opening.

I do really like the characters in this series. Tris is so strong and so determined, but she’s still a 16-year-old girl who has just lost both of her parents and saw a lot of hard to process events. INSURGENT is about her trying to find her strength again, and who she wants to be as a Divergent, and what’s really important to her integrity, and how to deal with everything that happened to her in the first book, and she does it all with a determinedness that matches and meshes her three factions qualities together, making her stronger in the end. I really like the relationship between Tris and Four and the way they look out for and support each other, but there are some struggles for each of them to be true to the other. That doesn’t mean it’s easy though because there is quite a bit going
on. Tris has a lot of focus on their relationship as it factors into all of the decisions she makes, but when you’ve lost
everything else, you have to worry about holding on to one thing that
can keep you together and it makes sense for her to want to have some constant in her life, but to be worried about being able to trust herself with all the deception going on around her. I care about these characters, and I really want things to work out for Tris and Tobias, and I want them to figure things out because they seem so made for each other – they’re so brave on their own, but they still really need each other, and I appreciate the strength they find in each other. Some of the secondary characters really stepped into the spotlight more in this book too, along with some new characters, and I really enjoyed that and getting to know them better; although, their actions weren’t always what I expected. It’s really hard in this book to know who or what to trust, even from characters we thought we knew – and they don’t all stay consistent throughout – adding to the intensity of the book.

INSURGENT was an incredibly strong second book. It did not at all fall into the dip that some second books in trilogies do with too much exposition or explanation or not enough happening and seeming to just set up the third book. There is an intelligence (thanks Erudite) to this book and the political upheaval that is going on, and it’s interesting to see how the factions play into the behaviors of the people. This book never stops, and just enough information is released as we need to know it, and it definitely feels like a strong book in it’s own right. There were so many moments where I couldn’t put it down or stop reading because I had to know what was going to happen next. The ending is a game changer-what is revealed in the last few pages is going to affect this entire world, and I, for one, am really excited to have that little clue to what is coming in book three, and can’t wait to see how Veronica Roth writes the rest of Tris and Four’s strength and story in this world. Although it is shocking and unexpected, it is done in such a masterful way because of Veronica Roth’s deft hand at giving us a sense of closure to the major questions for this book, but leaving us with a hint of what is to come in the next one, and yet everyone is at a place that I feel that I can leave them while I wait for the next one to come out (although I wish I didn’t have to!). I feel a sense of a progression happening with the DIVERGENT being about Tris figuring herself out, INSURGENT being about Tris figuring her society out, and I’m guessing the third will be about Tris figuring the larger world out – all within the context of her place within them and who is important and trustworthy to her. I will be eagerly anticipating news of the last book in this trilogy, as I’m sure so many of you will be as well. Enjoy the ride with INSURGENT on May 1st!

For another perspective (that I completely agree with), that basically says exactly what I felt, but more coherently and eloquently, check out Anna Reads’ spoiler-free review.

Kellee and Jen (another awesome tweacher), who blog together at Teach Mentor Texts, are wrapping up the series with a Blog Hop to allow others to share their views on this genre. And what perfect timing as one of the most well-known dystopians hit movie screens this week! So, get thinking, get typing, and get over to Teach Mentor Texts to participate in their Blog Hop on Saturday!

So I was one of the (lucky or unfortunate whichever way you look at it) ones who had to wait a full year in between each book in the series. And then the news of the movie came, and all I could do was hope they didn’t screw it up like the Twilight movies (come on, they’re not that good), but could make it good like the Harry Potter movies, but without having to leave so much out. The thing is, I think a really good book to movie adaptation has the power to make someone want to read the book – and that’s a great power to have. In fact, that’s what happened to me when I saw the first Harry Potter movie. I hadn’t read the books yet, but that movie made me go get them, see how good they were, and then I became a devoted fan of the series. And that’s what I really hope The Hunger Games movie will do for this generation of adolescents.

I’ve had the release date on my calendar since it was announced…I’ve had the original movie poster in my classroom since it was available…I’ve had my reserved seat movie ticket for over a month…I’ve been talking about it with my students for the last two weeks…and I finally got to see the movie today. My thought before it began? I really hope it lives up to the hype and anticipation I’ve built up for it. What was my thought when it was over? That was so good-I need to go see it again! I think I feel like this whenever I go to a movie based on a book that I’ve read. The first time I see it, I’m thinking so much about comparing it to the book. The second time, I can enjoy it more. BUT, the difference this time was that the movie was so incredibly well done, that I wasn’t in my head comparing it to the book the whole time, but I was falling in love with the story all over again. And wanting to go see it again was so I could enjoy it even more, and pay a little more attention to whether we could ever show it to our students or not.

The movie is darn good. Are there some small changes, of course, there have to be. My favorite though was getting a behind-the-scenes inside look at the gamemakers and how diabolical and strategic they were in making it all happen. Were there some questionable casting decisions-well, that depends on who you ask, but in my mind the casting was brilliant perfection (with the exception of Peeta-I’m still not sold). Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss. Haymitch and Cinna are delightful. I’m already going to call foul if it doesn’t win awards for makeup and costuming. This movie accomplished the task of bringing this book to life, and I never felt like there was anything that didn’t look right to me from how I had pictured it when I read the book. That is quite a feat as such a fan of the book.

I walked out of this movie with a clear thought prevailing in my head (after wow, they really ended that perfectly to set up for Catching Fire and I can’t wait for the next one!): I really want to read the book again. And for someone who has already read it three times, that’s saying something. I can only hope that it has the same effect on my students and all of the others who go to see it who haven’t read the books yet. This one was a winner.