Showing posts with label Dystopian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dystopian. Show all posts

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Sketching Rebellion by Felicia Ketcheson


Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopian
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.
  

Wow! As I read this book I was thinking, this has an undercurrent of "The Hunger Games." then I thought about the society in the book "The Giver."  There were so many things going on that you have to keep reading. Think about a society where everyone works for the good of all. That is everyone except the President. His biggest job is being present and pumping people up for an execution that everyone is required to attend. While he stands in front of them he tears down the person for their crime which can range from saying something against the government, or drawing a picture, which is illegal. All creativity is illegal. He claims it benefits the individual and not the society so they are being selfish. He pumps up the crowd the way cheerleaders would before a game. All the while he stands safely behind a wall of glass. He even has the are you watch from broken into sections; bronze, silver, and platinum.  All relatives of the crimanal and those who have higher positions in the society stand in the platinum section. Age is no issue. You can be executed even if you are a child as young as seven.  But the president's plans don't go as expected. A rebellion has formed. It is made up of people who have just disappeared. They have been waiting for just the right moment and for two teens who are the key to their plan working. As I read about Creel, one of the main characters, I felt sorry for her. She is smart, intelligent and loves to draw. Unfortunately, people are asked to turn those in who break the law, such as drawing. Creel has had her second warning and promises not to draw anymore because if she is caught the consequence will be mortae (death).  

As I read this book I could not help but see the Stasi who were responsible for getting people to spy on each other, including family members, in East Germany during the Cold War.  I didn't expect the ending that I read. It did tie things up nicely and left you hungering for a sequel. I have learned one is expected in the Spring of 2024.  I can't wait.  

Every year I challenge my students to read from eleven different genres. They are to attempt to read a minimum of eleven books. They must write their goal down and give it to me to chart. In turn my students set my reading goal.  This was the first book out of 83 they have set for me to read.  Definitley a great book to start my challenge.


 

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Enslaved Series by Katie Clark

This review is for all three books in this series.  This is a must read.

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Christian, Science Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Vanquished Book 1
Imagine a future where society is divided into three classes; Lessers, Middles, and the Greaters. Every dystopian society must have someone at the top who perverts life. In this case the Greaters have control of everything that affects the Middles and Lessers including medicine that could cure people. They have also outlawed religion. In this story we meet Hana who's mother has become deathly ill. She has cancer. Hana's society is so controlled she has a curfew, isn't allowed to date, and has grown to believe everything the Greaters have told her. But, when her mom gets sick and she is told there is no medicine for her mom she begins to open her eyes and look around at what is really happening. A medic named Fischer at the hospital tells her that there is a power higher than the Greaters who can help her mom. He shows her a forbidden Bible and encourages her to seek the truth. Her eyes are opened to so many things that are wrong in her world. She realizes that a lot of what is wrong has been created by the Greaters who supposedly have society's best interest in mind.
This is a great and unique dystopian because it isn't just about questioning the upper end of society, but their forced outlawing of religion.  Unfortunately, it is beginning to parallel our world way too much.  This is a book I would definitely recommend. 

Deliverance Book 2

This book picks up right where the first one ended. In this sequel we get more of a Hunger Games feel. Hana is in the Greater City where the president takes and interest in her, just as President Snow did in The Hunger Games. However, this is not as similar to the previous mentioned series from this point forward. Hana really wants to help. Unfortunately what she does is often inadvertently  at the cost of others. She is now a 'Greater'. This puts her in a position to learn what is truly happening with the government. It also puts her in the crosshairs of the president. He knows she has become a threat. She has found a pocket of Christians that have not let the government take away their belief system. Now she must find a way to let people know what is really happening, and at the same time protect those she loves. The suspense just keeps getting higher and higher.  One suggestion for the reader is make sure you own all three books because you are going to want to read them one after another.

Redeemer Book 3
In this book there are so many changes for Hana. She's been stripped of being a Greater. This in itself opens the door for her to truly find and do what she must for the greater good of society.  This book is so suspenseful and full of twists and turns you can't put it down.  The author has done an excellent job of tying everything up. It has a very satisfying ending. This is also a series I would definitely reread. I believe every time I read it I will see something a little bit different, something I missed the first time. Will I recommend it?  You'd better believe it. I will also be looking for other books by this author in the future. She is one awesome writer.



Author Bio

Katie Clark's published works include multiple children's books including A Tour of Your Muscular and Skeletal Systems, Animal Actors, Police Horses, and more. She is available for classroom visits and Skype chats to discuss her books. 

You can find her in the following places:

Website
Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook

Book Trailers
Enslaved Series
Beguiled Series

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Student Saturday: The Eye of Minds by James Dashner




Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Student Reviewer: Isaac C.

Michael, like all teenagers spends most of his time on electronics. However, he spends time in the VirtNet, a virtual universe wehre many nuisances in life are removed and everything is better, or is it? He meets a girl who explians a man named Kaine and about being trapped here, and Killsims, of course Michael shrugs it off thinking she's a lunatic. But, when the VirtNet Security kidnaps him, telling how they've been hunting Kaine for so long, he's with their coding skils. However, the the VirtNet, there are many mysterious things Micahel has yet to see.

I felt in the place of Micahel sometimes when he was overwhelmed when things would out of hand. I'd recommend this for readers into the futuristic setting and brain teasing plots. This is a great book by one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to read the sequel!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Student Saturday: The Kill Order by James Dashner



Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction


When I first started this, this was nothing like the other books in the series. I was disappointed – and intrigued. So, I read on. I found out about a whole lot of the story just from reading chapter 10.  I read that there was one girl in the book named Trina. I immediately thought of Trina from “Steps to Courage”, and funny thing, the main character/ Trina’s best friend is named Mark. Again, I thought of that same book. Just a connection.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Student Saturday: The Death Cure by James Dashner




Student Reviewer:  Elizabeth B.
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction


I enjoyed this book. This is the third book in the Maze Runner Series, and I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was a little upsetting because at the end there was no cure for a disease called the flare. While a group of them left the rest of the human race to die off while they went into a part of the world that they called paradise. I connected with the book because when Thomas was given the decision of killing his friend he did it, because that’s what his friend wanted I connected a bunch of books to this because they all witnessed a person dying; they each had different feelings with seeing the life leave their eyes.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Student Saturday: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner



Student Reviewer: Elizabeth B.
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction


The Scorch Trials is book #2 in the Maze Runner Series. By the beginning of this book I learned why it had this title. After the maze test in book 1, Thomas and his friends thought they were done. A group called WICKED, funny, right? Was putting them through all of these tests. The Scorch Trials was another one of them I think this might have been the book – which out of every book that I’ve read, (which is a lot), that I definitely felt most connected/drawn/intimidated by. It was kind of funny – when Thomas was upset, so was I. I’m serious. In real life. No joke. When he was mad, I was angry. His emotions flew through me. When his heart was crushed, when I had to finally put the book down at nighttime, I was crushed. Then I woke up not really feeling well. But, reading the book with that, afterwards, hew as happy again. and so was I. The very next day, now, I am still recovering my shock from having all of the emotions from this book flow through me. Wow!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Student Saturday: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Student Reviewer: Rim

I just finished reading the second book in the series of Divergent. It is called Insurgent. The book has the same main characters as Divergent did. Even some secondary characters in the first book became main characters in this one. Some new people were Marcus, Christina, and Evelyn. Marcus and Evelyn are Tobias's parents. Tobias thought his mother was dead, but met her a year ago. Marcus bullied Tobias a lot, hitting him with a belt. Yet, Marcus is a sly person. Christina is Tris's best friend and she met Tris during Dauntless.  Christina was still Tris's friend even after what Tris did. My connection in this book is where no matter what the problem i, always keep going. They did that throughout the whole book. This book was action filled in my eyes. The basic setting was in all of the factions! Amity, Candor, Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, even the Factionless! I recommend this to all people and especially people who love some twists in books that make you go What!?!?!" and that's all.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Student Saturday: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Student Reviewer: Rim

I just finished reading Divergent.  Possibly the best book I've ever read! The main characters are: Beatrice (Tris), and Tobias (Four). Tris is the main character in this book. She is the one who chose Dauntless for her new faction. She is divergent (as the title says). Divergent in the book means she is more than one faction when she is supposed to be only one. The faction is basically what you are. First you grow up in a faction, then you find out what you really are, then you choose what faction you want to be at the age of sixteen. The factions are: Dauntless (brave), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Erudite (intelligent), and Abnegation (selfless). Tobias is the trainer who helps Tris and all the other transfers become Dauntless ad goes with Tris and her adventures. He is eighteen and has a mysterious past. Jeanine who is the leader of Erudite wants to kill all divergent including Tris. The basic point of this book is that Tris is in Dauntless making friends and regrets and slowly discovering what Erudite really is. My connection with this book is that living your life normally while everyone is just feeding you lies until you understand  what the lies are. I love the concept in this book. The back stories, the surprises, just everything. The setting is in the Abnegation territory in the beginning ad the dauntless territory in the end. I would recommend this book to everyone!! If you can't read I will teach you how to because you ed to read this!!!!!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Student Saturday: The Maze Runner - James Dashner

Student Reviewer: Aeryn

I adored this book. From the moment I started reading questions popped into my mind and I felt like I was there watching Thomas. This book has a wonderful mysterious setting that gets you wondering. I think this book has you going through the solutions trying to figure out the solution to the problem so that the suspense  will stop. There are so many variables that it is so hard to find out the answer until the book tells you.

Thomas is the main character in this book. He has a curious personality and seems to have a knack forgetting himself in trouble. Thomas also does some extremely brave things that tend to be partly stupid also. He is around sixteen years old with brown hair. The book also says that Thomas is around five foot nine feet tall. Nobody can really tell how old they are because everybody in the Glade lost all of their memories except for their name.

The Glade is the setting of the book. It is in the middle of a giant maze. The Glade is several times the size of a football field and is surrounded by four gray stone walls that are a perfect square around the court yard. Each wall has an opening  in the middle of it and before nightfall every night giant stone slabs slide into place to cover the openings from the horror outside the walls.

The whole story started with Thomas sitting in the cold dark box for who knows how long waiting to get out The group of boys pull him out of the box into his new life in the Glade. Thomas is overwhelmed at first trying to figure out what all of these new terms mean and what everyone is talking about. Then a runner runs into the Glad and is on the brink of exhaustion. Thomas finds him and immediately gets interested in the works of the runners. The runners job is to try and find a way out of the maze.  So far there is nothing. One day Thomas wandered upon the graveyard and he heard something rustle in the bushes. A crazed kid jumped out and tried to kill Thomas all because the kid thought Thomas would ruin them all. A horrible fate befell this kid.  Only a few days passed and another kid showed up and she was the last one ever to come up in the Glade through the box. This girl helped them figure out the maze but there were still some major kinds in the plan. will the gladers be able to smooth out the kinks and find their way home or will they have to stay there forever?

I would recommend this book to people who love suspense in a book. this book is a cliff hanger. Every chapter adds something to the problem. I also think that people have a knack for solving problems would enjoy this book. I think this because the whole book is a huge problem and variables just keep adding and adding on until finally it's solved. People who like to solve problems will get the joy of solving a problem in the form of a really good book. I know that I really enjoyed this book so I think plenty others will too.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Student Reviewer:  Emily

From Goodreads:
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Student's Thoughts:
I really like this book.  Suzanne Collins is the author of the Hunger Games.  Katiess Everdeen’s sister was picked to go up for the Hunger Games.  For those of you who don’t know the Hunger Games is where two people from each district will get picked to go into the Hunger Games.  Twenty=four go into an arena and fight to the death.  So Katniss volunteers for her sister.  She and twenty-three others go into an arena and only one is supposed to come out.  I think this book was very good.  This year they held the games in a forest  and they fought for two weeks.  I think people will love this book.  I know I do.


Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Student Reviewer: Emily

From Goodreads:
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

 Student's Thoughts:
I really like this book.  Suzanne Collins is the author of the Hunger Games.  Katniss Everdeen’s sister was picked to go up for the Hunger Games.  For those of you who don’t know the Hunger Games is where two people from each district will get picked to go into the Hunger Games.  Twenty=four go into an arena and fight to the death.  So Katniss volunteers for her sister.  She and twenty-three others go into an arena and only one is supposed to come out.  I think this book was very good.  This year they held the games in a forest  and they fought for two weeks.  I think people will love this book.  I know I do.