Reading Reviews October
Period 5
The Selection By: Kiera Cass Review by: Katelyn Szarko
The Selection was a true page turner for me, a book worth reading. America Singer is a 15 year old girl who lives in “future America” also known as Illéa. Illéa is separated by castes from 1-8, 1 being the highest and most important. America is a 5 and does what she can to insure a meal on her table every night. America has a secret relationship with a 6 named Aspen. America is 15, the age of the Prince looking for a princess. There is a contest called The Selection in which girls compete for Prince Maxon’s heart. America enters to make her loved ones happy, but despite what she wants, she is picked. She leaves behind her family, Aspen, and everything that she knows for a contest she doesn’t even want to be a part of. But maybe that will change. Maybe, The Selection isn’t what America thinks it will be. The night of arrival at the palace, America has an accidental meeting with Prince Maxon. She lets all of her emotions free and talks with Maxon about the whole “Selection thing” and the book is about everything that happens after. For example, how Maxon and America form a special bond, how there are rebels that invade the palace and most importantly how America’s feelings change throughout the story. This book is part fantasy, part realistic-fiction, and part romance. The ending is a cliff hanger! It leaves you thinking about what will happen next until you get your hands on the second book! This book is for grades 7-10. I would give this book a ***** rating.
Fallen By: Lauren Kate Review by: Michaela Shaver
I believe that Fallen was the best book I’ve read this year so far. I would recommend this book because it is a thrilling true love mystery, with an awesome plot twist. People will love this book, no matter what genre you like. A good mystery, true love, adventure, suspense. Fallen has it all. The details in the story made me feel as if I lived in the book. When Luce fell in love with Daniel, I felt all the emotions rush through my veins. I liked the part in the book when Daniel saves Luce from the library fire. His heroic part in the book gave it a more fantasy feel, which I L-O-V-E! I didn’t like that the epilogue writing part wasn’t mentioned in the second book, Torment, very much. The epilogue was a big part of the end of the story, but was only mentioned once in the second book. This book is like Kissed by An Angel by Elizabeth Chandler because they both have intense love, glorious angels, and are a wonderful series. I give Fallen a 4 out of 5 stars. I took off a star because the ending was a little vague. At the end, the reader will find out a whole lot of new things, but it was kind–of hard trying to figure out what happened between the first & second book. I wish it had more details in the end that related more to the next book.
Matched By: Ally Condie Review By: Veronica Grove
This love struck fiction/romantic, star line is… “Do not go gentle into the night.” On the day of her grandfathers scheduled death, he slips her a piece of paper saying she will understand more than the rest will. The perfect sister, student, daughter, and best friend now possess an illegal poem. She discovers that her “Society” isn’t so perfect after all. Not only that, but when she slides in her matches card into the portal (a device that is used to look up another person’s information) the society appears to make a mistake, however this is no mistake at all, a face flashes on her portal, the face of not her match, but her friend Ky who is an aberration because of his father wrong doings. When an official says it must just a glitch in the society, Cassia is still eager to find out more, however this gets her in a lot of trouble. She starts to fall in love with Ky, but when they start sharing poems they become closer and closer, until they are truly inseparable. But, she doesn’t know who she loves more- Ky, an orphan from the outer provinces, or her match Xander, her best friend from her childhood. Cassia and Ky start to realize that the society is holding back something that shouldn’t be taken away from the people, choice. However, the “Society” isn’t done with them yet; things start to get really ugly, to the point that everyone has to take the red tablet; this is the tablet that is almost never used, along with the green and blue. In fact, to make sure that “they” always win, they send cassia and her family away to the border provinces including Ky to the outer Provinces to help fight in “The Rising”. However, is there love so unbreakable they will stop at nothing to see each other once again? The author, Ally Condie uses a wonderful variety of explicit words to generalize her point of view from Cassia. The overall rating of this fantastic one in three book series is a five, because of how much action is there and how nothing ever is boring. This book is action packed; with so many surprises it’s unbearable. It’s also known as a must read series of the year top reading lists. The reviews from many people is saying that it is a love struck book, that anything could happen and everything wrong tends to go into these poor characters favors. I would personally recommend this book to have ever read the book The Giver, or anything that had a society slowly chipping away with its idea of “sameness”.
The Summer I Turned Pretty By: Jenny Han Review By: Gracelyn Paul
(Recommended for readers 12 and up) In the book The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han writes a nail-biting romance story, about a love triangle with the main character as 15-year-old Belly – or Isabel Conklin. Belly has gone to the house in Cousins Beach every summer for as long as she can remember. She has gone with her mother, brother and her mom’s best friend Susannah. Susannah has two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah; Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, Susannah’s oldest. She has tried her whole life to fit in and get to do whatever the boys do, but Conrad and Jeremiah may only ever see her as a little sister, like her brother Steven does. As Belly goes through the summer, she tries to get Conrad off her mind, and has a relationship with another boy in Cousins, Cam. Cam and Belly are together for a while, only until Belly realizes, her heart will forever be set on Conrad, and Conrad only. Summer has always been the thing that Belly looks forward to most, and it’s always been an easy relaxing time for her. She never knew that it could get this hard. One of the main causes for these difficult times is because Susannah is so far losing the battle of cancer. Susannah has always been like a second mother to Belly and it was hard to have her like this. All of this with her everlasting love for Conrad, because it seems that he will never feel the same way. Jenny Han writes a fantastic summer love story with emotions all around and new feelings soon rising between all of the characters. Will Belly keep her hopes on Conrad, or soon feel differently about others? The only way to know is to read about her exciting summer experiences.
Divergent By: Veronica Roth Review By: Kelly Kreuscher
Divergent, the first in its trilogy is set in dystopian (society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding) Chicago, following the life of Beatrice, or Tris Prior, and her a faction, but for Tris, this is not true. She is destined for 3. The world was changed, they say, to eradicate all evil and stop all wars. What was once a war ridden world is now one where you must choices and life in the future, where the city is split into 5 factions. At 16, this year for Tris, she must choose one of the 5. They say that after a complicated test, each person will be destined for choose. You can join the Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Abnegation (the selfless) or Erudite (the intelligent). And you can choose to stay with your family or leave them to be who you are, but what is said is, “faction before blood.” And that you should leave your faction to be who you really are. But being Divergent is a very dangerous thing, and it can never be known. Tris is dangerous and she cannot be controlled. She now must fight for her freedom and the lives of her friends, family, and faction. This book was very good, and centered on being who you are and leaving what you know. Tris often questions the difference between qualities like selflessness and bravery, and what each truly means. This adventurous and dystopian novel is sure to please those who like The Hunger Games, but wish that the romance of the novel did not play a part as big as it did. Veronica Roth’s descriptive and unpredictable writing is sure to keep you hooked and feeling Tris’ emotions. This book is best for 7th graders and up, who are okay with reading a book where there is death and war. I loved this book, and both Insurgent and Allegiant, the books that follow it in the series. This books has lots of devoted fans who love the adventure and emotion of this popular book. I rate it as 10 out of 10 because it was just the kind of action packed story many people, not only me, love.
About Us
We are Katelyn, Kelly, Michaela , Gracelyn, and Veronica. In Ms. Levesque's 5th period class. We love to read and write and this project was lots of fun. We hope you like our reviews and read some of these great books! ;)
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