Posted on by Wendy

Nightowl’s breath is taken away by “The Hunger Games!”

Hunger_Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction

Rating: 5 Stars

The Hunger Games is an adventurous fiction book about a girl named Katniss who has to survive a life or death game. It is so breathtaking and wonderful that you don’t want to put the book down until you are done with it. It is about Katniss, a 16-year-old girl who is very responsible and takes care of her mom, sister, and friends, and her friend Peeta, a 16-year-old boy, as they try to survive.

The “hunger games“ is a once-a-year gathering. Two tributes are picked: one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district. It is televised the whole time. They are put into a futuristic forest arena to compete against each other to the death. In a game for their lives, they will face challenges such as murder, sickness, natural disasters, and homesickness. Will they survive? Will they win?

What I liked about the book was that Katniss and Peeta are around my age (a little older), and I could relate to them. Katniss is a girl so that made a difference for me, because not many books have main female characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read The Maze Runner by James Dashner or Divergent by Victoria Ross. You would also enjoy this book if you like fast-paced adventure books with cliffhangers. Read The Hunger Games!!!

Reviewer: nightowl

Age: 12

Posted on by Wendy

jay Z finds his oasis in “Ready Player One!”

Ready Player OneTitle: Ready Player One

Author: Ernest Cline

Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction

Rating: 5 Stars

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, is a dystopian science fiction novel, set in the year 2044 and chalk full of 80’s video games, adventure, and mystery.

Protagonist Wade Watts is a teen who has found the first clue in the puzzle to a $200 billion fortune left behind by James Halliday.  Halliday is the recently deceased, 80’s-obsessed creator of the virtual reality video game called The Oasis.  

This fortune is hidden deep inside the game as an Easter egg. The catch: the competition is open to the billions of people who own Oasis consoles and haptic equipment. Furthermore, Wade has to contend with IOI, a giant corporation bent on taking control of the Oasis and cheating their way to the egg.

This book is a fantastic, compelling read.  By the second chapter in, I vowed to add this to my permanent library. The characters Cline brings to life are so crystal clear and lifelike, I wished it would never stop. This story was my oasis from the dull reality of life; for this, I am forever indebted to Cline for his enchanting wizardry with words.

Reviewer: jay Z

Age: 13

Posted on by Wendy

audrey.warren hones in on the importance of memory in “The Giver”

The Giver

Title: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Genre: Dystopian

Rating: 4 Stars

The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is an intense and profound book to read. This story is set in a society which first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story continues. The book follows an eleven-year-old boy named Jonas throughout his journey discovering what this society is about.

The citizens of the society Lowry creates can’t see color. When Jonas starts to realizes he can see color, he wonders what this means for him in the future. He’s different from other kids because he can see beyond. Jonas receives the job as a receiver, which means he holds all memory of history. This is isolating. Jonas starts training with this old man known as the Giver. The Giver slowly gives Jonas an idea of what the receiver’s job is. Jonas is scared and confused about why he was chosen as the receiver and as he receives the memories he sees his society is not as “perfect” as it seems.

Lowry came up with the idea of a scary, sterile world where nearly everyone takes drugs so they don’t remember their memories and emotions. In real life, so many have suffered the pain of losing someone. In this book, Lowry considered how much different our existences might be if we didn’t have memories at all. Lowry shows us that when we lose our memories we lose parts of our humanity.

Reviewer: audrey.warren

Age: 14

Posted on by Wendy

Yeetgawd is riveted by “Red Rising!”

Red_Rising_(2014)

Title: Red Rising

Author: Pierce Brown

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

Rating: 5 Stars

Red Rising is a riveting and page-turning sci-fi that takes place in a dystopian society on Mars. The society is stratified into a caste system, with the Golds at the top and the Reds at the bottom. Darrow is a Red, the lowest class in society. His whole life Darrow has believed that he has been colonizing Mars for a better future for his people, but this is all a lie. When his wife is killed, he decides to go through a risky process called the carving to become a Gold, the highest class in society. Darrow enters the institute — a vile place where the Golds are tested in a battle of will. Will Darrow survive?

This book is like Hunger Games mixed with Ender’s Game. Pierce Brown’s writing style is fast-paced, engaging, and delicately woven to create a book that you won’t be able to put down. This was one of my favorite series I’ve ever read. This is the first installment in a series of three.

Reviewer: yeetgawd

Age: 14

Posted on by Wendy

Hfkiely writes a stunning review of “Red Rising.”

Red_Rising_(2014)

Title: Red Rising

Author: Pierce Brown

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 5 Stars

In a word, Red Rising is stunning. The story revolves around our futuristic solar system and the evolution of man. In four thousand years from now, man has been genetically engineered to divide into different races of humans, each used for a specific purpose. For simplicity, each job is represented by a color. However, some of the colors are engineered with higher physical superiority than the others. The Golds are the rulers of mankind. Their sole purpose is domination and order. The book follows a young man by the name of Darrow, who was born into the lowest color of all: the Reds, meant only for the mining of mars. Since a young age, all Reds are told that humans are just now trying to colonize mars, and that the Helium-3 they are mining is helping them to make the planet liveable. But this is a lie. The whole system has been colonized for centuries. After his family is killed, Darrow stumbles upon the lies the Golds have been keeping for years, and will do anything in his power to make it right. Even if it means becoming one of them.

Pierce Brown writes with descriptive vigor to create fantastically vivid images of the world and people in the universe, to the point where it almost puts you in the world itself. The bonds and emotional attachments to characters and places he creates have you flipping through the pages as he puts you through the unimaginable. This incredible writing style is what makes the book mind-blowing throughout. The twists are on every page, the excitement is book wide. Red Rising is a must read for anyone who cares about what it’s like to be a human.

Reviewer: hfkiely

Age: 15

Posted on by Wendy · 1 Comment

First Review! Untrustworthy Doofus writes about the darkness of “Unwind.”

unwind

Title:  Unwind

Author:  Neal Shusterman

Genre:  Science Fiction, Dystopian

Rating:  5 Stars

The Unwind dystology (a four-book series), by Neil Shusterman, is a book that will make fear for the future. Unwind is the first book in this young adult science-fiction series, and is my all-time favorite. Unwind has a dark topic:  after a war, a scientist discovers a way to use 99.44% of a human body for life-saving implants. Without the scientist’s permission, the government decides to begin the process of “unwinding,” in which parents can decide if they want their misbehaving kid to be unwound between the ages of 13 and 18.

I like how the author chose to write from many different perspectives, switching between characters for each chapter.  The characters act and talk like real people, and the plot is so full of action that once you start reading it, you can’t stop.  I would rate this book five stars out of five!


Reviewer:  Untrustworthy Doofus

Age:  13