Within a corrupted society where children battle to the death in the annual Hunger Games for entertainment, lives a bold young woman named Katniss Everdeen. Katinis loves her little sister more than life itself. So when her sister PrimRose Everdeen is drawn for the Hunger Games, Katniss does the unheard of and volunteers and tribute in place of her sister. Katniss volunteered without hesitation so when she is sent to the capital along with the other selected person for her district Peeta Mellark she is prepared to fight. She knows that she is going to be sent right into the games and that she has to win it and come out alive to look after her sister. Along the way with the help of her bow and arrow she becomes one of the most unlikely candidates to perform so well in the games, her underdog ness strikes the outside world in hope and in rebellion. This book is by far one of the best that I have ever read, it is so riveting and engaging and has not only action
but romance. I have read every book in the series and I loved every page of it. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is by far one of my top ten favorite books.
Within the dystopian of Wormwood lives Vega Jane, a strong and very independent woman. When Vega was young, she saw her mother leave the village. No one had ever left Wormwood. Why would anyone leave there wasn’t anything outside of the town? However, Vega knew that the leaders of Wormwood were lying to her. The elders/leaders told her that her mother was dead and that no one survives leaving Wormwood. Vega knew she had to figure out the truth, she was at the end of her wits. She was tired of the constant scrutiny she was under for being a girl, she didn’t have a voice and she wasn’t respected by the men in Wormwood. Vega was really set into action when her friend Quentin Hermes goes missing but leaves clues behind to find her. Determined to uncover the truth to her towns dark past, she follows the clues left behind leading her closer to the truth. This book, while it was not my favorite, had a cool plot and was easy to follow.
The Fifth Wave by Ricky Yancey is an awesome and thrilling book, that dives into a world in which aliens exist. The human race at the brink of extinction must learn to fight and hide in order to survive the invasion. A young teenager Cassie, has lost her mother and father and now must find a safe place to live and return to her younger brother. But when Cassie finds herself in the midst of a battle with a “silencer”, what they call the aliens, she fears she might not make it. Then a strange and mysterious man from a nearby farm saves Chloe after she was shot by the “silencer” and nurses her back to health. In order to find a way to protect her younger brother and stop the silencer’s invasion Cassie must trust this suspicious farm boy, who looks almost identical to the silencer that shot her. This book has not only has a lot of action and intrigue but has a sweet turn of events within it. It kept me glued to each page and I could not put it down. I would definitely recommend this book, it's one of my favorites!
Jerry Aubin finishes the Ship Series in spectacular fashion. In Resurgence, Aubin ties up the series beautifully and answers all of the questions that have kept readers fascinated from the very beginning. Zax must finally face what he started and defeat the true enemy of the ship, Alpha. Resurgence will keep you on your toes with its whirlwind plot that will captivate you from the start. Like all of its predecessors, Resurgence does not disappoint with its plot twists and adventures. I highly recommend this book for any middle or high school aged reader.
"The Towering Sky" by Katherine McGee tells the story of five teenagers in 2119. Living in a futuristic Manhattan tower in which your floor displays your power, a mystery/romance story is bred. This book was perfectly okay. The writing wasn't half bad, and the characters ,well half-baked, were not unrealistic or arrogant. However, as reading this book, the third and final of a series, without reading the first two, was extremely confusing. At first I had not realized that this book was part of a trilogy, and thought the writing was purposefully confusing. Though I don't know if this book would make more sense after reading the first two, the pacing was quite fast, though the plot moved slow, which created a strange vibe while reading. In general, I would not recommend this book. However, if you have read the first two and liked them, go ahead and give it a go.
Fahrenheit 451 follows the story of a fireman, Guy Montag, who lives in a dystopian society. His job as a fireman is to locate all books around the city and burn them. Books are banned from any individual and is considered to be an inferior type of entertainment in comparison television, which are more supported by the public. As Montag continues to burn more books throughout his job over time, he deals with a variety of external factors that changes his brainwashed and disillusioned perspective to considering books and their significance to society. Being a firemen in this dystopian society, Montag must deal with a plethora of barriers that are blocking his way before he can truly understand the importance of books and to keep them.
Fahrenheit 451 is an intriguing book that takes a different approach in a dystopian society. Instead of implementing a militaristic and governmental style, Bradbury uses firemen which encapsulates a unique and captivating plot line. Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates a story that everyone can enjoy, especially for those who enjoy reading dystopian novels. Bradbury effectively relates character development of Montag to the series of events that occurs. This coherent relationship that virtually happens side-by-side further produces a sense of immersion for the reader.
Personally, I enjoyed Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 novel. It is considered to be one of his best, and most iconic books that he has written to date. I highly recommend any average reader to consider reading Fahrenheit 451. The book is not too long, but it will still produce an immense amount of quality and satisfaction in the end.
The Ship Series continues to be phenomenal in Rendezvous. Rendezvous not only continues the thrilling adventures of Zax after twelve years after being Culled, but also continues to develop the story of Adan and his creation of his massive spaceship to save humanity. Aubin adds a whole new level to the depth of the Ship Series with his exploration of the Ship's history while still staying true to the original story. Full of plot twists, Rendezvous will leave you fascinated and reaching for the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book for any middle or high school aged reader.
Maximum Ride is probably one of the most interesting and exciting books I have ever read. The novel starts with a group of children living in a house on their own, the one who watches out for the younger children is sixteen year old, Maximum Ride (Max). The children are not like other normal kids though; they can all fly. When the kids were younger they were all kidnapped by scientists and were experimented on. While they were experimented on they were given genetically attached wings. The children all escaped with the strength they all had together but now the scientists want them back. They can fly and they are stronger than most humans and they each have
individual powers unique to only them and they are not easy to find. The scientist also created what Max and the other children call “Erasers”, which are genetically mutated humans half wolf, half human with the sole purpose of finding the missing flying children. The novel follows Max and the children on their journey to freedom. I honestly think that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this book: romance, science fiction, action and adventure. I love this book and would highly recommend reading it.
Jerry Aubin continues The Ship Series with another phenomenal sci-fi novel. Homeward has the same energy and intensity as its two predecessors and continues Zax's thrilling adventures. In Homeward, life becomes much more complicated for Zax and he is once again faced with difficult moral challenges. Full of fascinating new twists and turns, Homeward will keep you on your feet. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for any middle or high school aged reader.
Aubin's continuation of the ship series is just as brilliant as the first. Now that Zax has revealed his discovery of an unknown spacecraft from Earth, everything has changed. The ship has erupted into full-blown revolution and Zax is once again faced with a moral dilemma. Revolution is another thrilling sci-fi adventure that is just as action-packed as Landfall. I could not put this book down and was completely enthralled by Aubin's futuristic society. I highly recommend this book for any middle or high school aged reader.
I loved this book. Jerry Aubin has written a sci-fi masterpiece that is the perfect combination of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Star Trek. Landfall follows the life of Zax, a fifteen-year-old cadet on a ship with the last human survivors 5,000 years in the future. Landfall is full of non-stop action and is an absolute page-turner. I couldn't put this book down and neither will you. I highly recommend this book for any middle or high school aged reader who loves a wonderful sci-fi adventure.
this book is a really good read. i would not recommend this book for readers under 10. it is not really scary but does include the FBI.
It’s almost fitting how the follow-on book in the spin-off series to Ender’s Game takes the same tactic as Speaker for the Dead and transforms itself into a completely different genre. While Speaker for the Dead and its sequels still maintained a level of science fiction for the Ender saga, Shadow of the Hegemon pivots into a political thriller with almost no hints of sci-fi to be seen. The strength of the characters helped make this transition relatively smooth, but it still highlights how these child-aged individuals hardly have any child-like qualities.
While the Shadow saga certainly needed to start out focusing on Bean, I did appreciate how Shadow of the Hegemon developed many of the supporting characters. For the first time in both series, I felt like the reader was able to know Petra and Peter while also seeing what Achilles was capable of accomplishing. The results of bringing back children war heroes to Earth had a logical feel to its progression, even if I didn’t really care much about southeastern Asian politics to really engage with the politics of the plot. That’s not to say the whole “cat and mouse” between Achilles and Bean wasn’t interesting; it just wasn’t what had brought me to this series in the first place.
Of course, having read the Ender saga first, I can already see the early ripples of how this side-series will start to wrap up. Now that Ender is less of a presence in the Shadow series, other characters finally have a chance to show what they can do. While I’ll reserve my predictions might change with what actually happens, I get the sense that Peter’s tenure as Hegemon changes the world just as Bean changes into some super-intelligent giant. I will admit that some of Orson Scott Card’s predictions from 2000 still seem plausible today, given the political climate, it’s clear that the author did his research before playing with the ever-important sci-fi “what if” scenario.
A political pivot from a well-known sci-fi series, I give Shadow of the Hegemon 4.0 stars out of 5.
After a NASA crew member is left behind on planet Mars, he has a huge to-do list. First, come in contact with NASA to prove he is alive, don't starve, don't die, then make it home alive. I'm not a huge fan of any science fiction type book, however, this was indeed an exception. I loved the perspectives the author chose to include, and the humor he shot into his characters gives the story personality. I suggest this book to an eighth grade audience; there is some inappropriate language and all of the science attributes are complex to understand. I strongly suggest to you this book if you want to be left on the edge of your seat with every new chapter, right up until the end.
Michael Grant has written a thrilling conclusion to his Gone series. Light is the perfect ending to a phenomenal series. Over the past five books, Sam, Astrid, Edilio, and all the others have survived every obstacle the FAYZ has thrown at them. However, will they be able to survive a final epic battle with the Gaiaphage itself? With suspense around every corner, Light brings the same energy and intensity found in all of the other Gone books. I thoroughly enjoyed Light and highly recommend it to any high school aged reader.
Michael Grant continues the Gone series with another spectacular novel. The kids of Perdido Beach have survived many obstacles thrown at them by the FAYZ, but now they must face their biggest fear yet: complete darkness. Will these kids be able to survive when they can't see what's coming for them? Fear is another hit by Grant. With twists and turns around every corner, Fear is a suspense thriller you won't be able to put down.
As a crew of astronauts leave from Mars, Mark Watney, an astronaut is left behind as he was presumed dead. Watney is forced to survive on Mars with the limited resources and supplies that he has with him. As he is doing so, NASA on Earth are diligently working to bring him home for a rescue mission.
The Martian is a fictional story that interests those who are interested in either science and/or action. Bringing both of these together, it illustrates a stressful novel that will keep the reader on.
Reviewer Grade: 11
1984 introduces Winston Smith as the primary character. Smith is a middle-aged man that lives within a dystopian society in April of 1984. Being nearly 4 decades after World War II and just a couple of years after the apparent Atomic Wars, Smith lives through the totalitarian state of Oceania, where is activity is consistently surveyed. At this point, Smith attempts to relocate himself from this totalitarian state in order to put him back to normal behavior.
1984 is another novel involving a dystopia, however, it stands out for its strong character development. The premise of the story is heavily shown through the setting, as it demonstrates a controlled and tyrannical lifestyle.
Reviewer Grade: 11
The journey of a girl who only had a mere spark, but soon let it engulf in flames.
Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian world where people are categorized by personality and lifestyle preferences. There are five sections: Dauntless, Amity, Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor. Beatrice lives in the abnegation faction, with nothing to her name but her father's presence in the council.
That becomes an issue when Beatrice discovers that she is different from everyone else. Something inside of her has been trying to tell her that, but she left it to simmer. When she makes a life-altering decision to change her faction, she fears that she has disappointed her family. Beatrice soon learns to let go of what once held her back and fight for what she truly wants. In, "Divergent," the reader sees first-hand how grueling life can be and how becoming completely and utterly obsessed with the things you want only sets you up for success. In a dystopian world of chaos and mayhem, Beatrice not only sets out to find herself but is desperate to find the truth. Who is really behind all of this destruction? And how brave do you need to be to figure it out?
(Reviewer Grade: 9)
George Orwell depicts a horrific and terrifying alternate reality of 1984.
After years of war and conflict, the world is governed by three totalitarian regimes. The one that our main character, Winston Smith, resides under is ruled by the “party” and its leader “Big Brother”. The narrative follows Winston as he meets a mysterious woman named Julia, and the two begin to secretly rebel.
When I first started reading this book, I was a little bit disappointed. I had such high expectations (I think that was the problem) ,and it just didn’t live up to them. In the beginning, I thought Winston’s character was somewhat flat, and I didn’t feel a lot of sympathy for what he was living through. I thought Julia was unrealistic and a bit obnoxious. But in the second half of the book, my opinions had changed. The book becomes quite disturbing, and it makes you question what is actually real and what is just a fabrication of the party. It’s terrifying to say the least. Despite the fact that I enjoyed parts of this book, I have to rate it 3 stars because I wasn’t engaged in the first half of the narrative.