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Article 5 by Kristen Simmons It's the near future, and after a devastating war on American soil, civil liberties have been eliminated. The Bill of Rights is a thing of the past, and the nation is in a constantly militarized state. The Moral Statutes have been instituted and are absolute - rules to live by with no exceptions. Practicing religions outside of Christianity is a punishable offense. Romance novels are outlawed. There are no luxuries.
Seventeen year old Ember comes home after school one day and finds soldiers from the Federal Bureau of Reformation on her doorstep. Ember's single mother is found of violating Article 5 - having a child out of wedlock - and she and Ember must be rehabilitated. The two are separated and Ember is taken to the equivalent of a prison camp, full of other girls just like her - illegitimate children and juvenile "article offenders" alike. Under the sadistic watch of a twisted headmistress who has the muscle of the Moral Militia soldiers behind her, Ember knows she must escape and find her mother. But when Chase, her ex-boyfriend (himself a Moral Militia soldier), comes to rescue Ember, their hardships are just beginning. Can she trust Chase, or is the boy she loved dead and gone? Article 5 is a frustrating book. One the one hand, I do enjoy the dystopian mindset. Article 5 is a terrifying glimpse at an entirely possible future America, ravaged by war and turning to religious zeal and militant patriotism. The love story between Chase and Ember held my interest too. But Ember's emotional angst drove me crazy! At two points in the story, Ember (idiotically) runs away from Chase - the boy that has risked his life, his reputation, his career solely to save her. Ember knows that Chase is trying to help her but she runs away from the him. TWICE. The motivations for her initial mistrust of Chase make sense, but what doesn't add up is the continued distrust. For the longest time, the two characters never even TALK about their feelings or relationship, making the romance between them feel like a prolonged plot device. There is a strong message in the end of the book that women are not always the weaker sex - that girls can be strong and independent - but it took ages for Ember to be that heroine. Her character spent much of the novel feeling sorry for herself, living with her head in the sand, and letting others take care of her. Thankfully she does redeem herself. Ultimately, there were things I liked about the book - notably the critique of sexism, religious zeal, and aggressive militarism - but these high points were dwarfed by the massive missteps in terms of plot and characterization. There are far better dystopian novels on the library shelves, but if this the the genre for you, it may still be worth your time.
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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness The other day I had five novels from our library on my desk and I needed to chose which one to read next. So, I read the first paragraph of each book and The Knife of Never Letting Go was hands down the winner. What a great introduction to the main character, Todd, and his dog Manchee.
Todd is the only boy left in a village of men. There are no women or girls, and Todd is less than a month away from his thirteenth birthday, the age when all boys in the New World become men. What an unfriendly, hostile and Noisy world it is. Everyone in the village has Noise - even the animals. All thoughts and feelings are broadcast for everyone to hear, and there is nothing to be done about it. That's a lot of Noise. One day Todd and his dog go into the nearby swamp to pick apples and they comes across an area that reads to Todd as the opposite of noise. A spot that is almost loud in its silence, and Todd has to investigate. This begins a life-altering adventure as Todd discovers more about the New World and the repulsive secrets of his village. The Knife of Never Letting Go presents an incredibly unique plot that's both simple in its storytelling and layered in its depth. There are many moments of violence and aggression, moments of frustration and sadness, and many times I felt like this novel was a punch in the stomach (a sure sign of my involvement with the characters and plot). My only complaint is in the length of this book - I'm certain it could be as effective if it were 100 pages shorter. If action and confrontation are things you look for in a story line, this could be the novel for you. Excellent world-building and wonderful main characters. Some might say Hollywood is running out of ideas for new scripts/stories, but I for one am thrilled there are a ton of great books being made into movies! In March Netflix is premiering a TV show from 13 Reasons Why, a great (and terribly sad) novel by Jay Asher. IMDB lists Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and Wonder by RJ Palacio as movies coming in 2017. Currently in theatres are A Monster Calls by Peter Ness and A Dog's Purpose by W Bruce Cameron. Wow - I'm excited to see all of these films, having read the novels in Vincent Massey's library... Ana's Story by Jenna Bush - reviewed by Brianna H. Do you love a novel that makes you cry? This true-story romantic novel is written in way that helps the reader feel what life is like in a poor family.
I would recommend this novel to people who have a hard life at home, or anyone in need of some hope. Also people who think they can only read fiction, not non fiction, as this is written as fiction would be. Ana suffers abuse from a close relative after both her parents die from HIV/AIDS and they find out she has HIV as well (contracted from her mom). Moving from her Abuela's house to her great aunt's house, and many more houses after that, Ana believes she and her child will never have a normal life. Then things take an unexpected turn and this book holds many surprises. The author of this narrative non-fiction is Jenna Bush, daughter of former US President George Bush. She wrote this book after doing an internship for Unicef, where she met many young people with stories similar to Ana's. Run to pick up a copy of Ana's story and feel like you are in the book Brianna H. |
AuthorThis book lover's blog is brought to you by the Learning Commons at Vincent Massey School, Calgary. Specifically, Ms. Gammon and various student book reviewers. We want to share our favorite titles with you! Archives
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