Divergent

I might be one of the last people who has read this book . If you have read Divergent , what did you think? I’ve read a lot of reviews that compare this book to The Hunger Games, which is not out of line.

If you haven’t read it, Divergent takes place in a world after a horrible war has been fought . Society has divided into factions , based on what they think caused the war. ( lack of knowledge, selfishness, lying, etc) If you belong to one faction , you don’t really communicate with any other, even if your parents or siblings are in a different faction. It sounds neat and tidy, but it isn’t . There are a group of people who are factionless. And, Tris, the heroine of our story, is Divergent. She takes the test at age 16 to see where she belongs, but it looks like she could fit in a number of different groups.This is not how it is supposed to work. and being Divergent , is dangerous. This is something she must hide. She choses the Dauntless faction ( courage is what they foster), but has doubts.

The first part of the book feels a little formulaic, but there is a movement in the plot that takes it away from the formula. An interesting ,engaging book. The violence is high, but in a context that is a little less shocking than The Hunger Games . Recommended.

Teen Top Ten VOTE NOW

here is the link to vote:

teen top ten vote!

Review- All these things I’ve done

this is another teen top ten nominee and it was better than I expected. I expected a dystopian novel, after all ,chocolate and caffeine are illegal. But really we just have a slowly crumbling world , with people just trying to live their lives. Anya , a 16-year-old girl has a few more problems than the average girl. her parents are dead,. Her grandmother is her guardian, but she is old ( born in 1995) and in poor health. Her brother was hurt when her mother was killed. So she is really in charge of the family. And did I mention that her father was a crime boss? It gets much more complicated. I’m  giving  the book gets extra house points for bringing up Harry Potter. This is  well worth  reading.

prizes

summer  reading game book  prizes — notice  that  some of  these books are from  the teen  top ten  nominees:

Ashes – ilsa J bick

Shattered. That is how I feel after finishing this book.

Alex is hiking into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents. A pulse throws her to the ground and everything changes. And nothing for the better.

I’ve left out all the details, but, just imagine one bad really bad thing – and one more and one more and…
This is a survival/post-apocalyptic story –and you will read things you have read before, but very time you get comfortable it will twist again. And as I thought I understood everything, it turns out I didn’t. When I read the last page I had to run to amazon to see if this was the first in a series ( it is) , or the only. If it had been the only book — that ending would have been harsh – now it is a major cliff hanger.

I really thought this was a very good book – and one of really good teen top ten nominees.

Teen top ten

So all the video reviews are up – and the voting doesn’t start until august. As you need a book to read this summer – search on the terms teen top ten – and you can find the list and the videos about the books. You will also find my reviews ( of the ones I read) and any other information about them – including how to vote.

All these things I’ve done

An interview with Gabrielle Zevin, about her 2012 nominee for the 2012 teen top ten:

how to save a life

Review of a book by Sara Zarr, a 2012 teen topten nominee:

Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Book trailer for a teen top ten 2012 nominee:

Between Shades of Grey

Ruta Sepetys speaks about her novel, one of the Teen Top Ten Nominees: