Lord of the Flies

Written by William Golding

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Patrick

    

Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of boys who become stranded on a remote island after their plane crashes. These boys have to figure out how to survive and develop an organized way of living with rules and jobs. Many of the boys eventually lose their innocence, and they become violent and hateful towards each other. 

I enjoyed Lord of the Flies because it keeps you on your toes. Overall, it was easy and interesting to read because of how it showed the boys slowly losing their civilized human nature and becoming more like savages. Consistently, there was also deeper meaning in the boys’ objects and actions.

Lord of the Flies

Written by William Golding

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by John

        

William Golding's Lord of the Flies won him the Nobel Prize in Literature. The book follows a gang of youngsters who find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island and tragically attempt to self-govern. The tensions between groupthink and individualism, rational and emotional reactions, and morality and immorality are among the themes explored.

Lord of the Flies is a great work of literature. It shows the true nature of humankind and how people may turn into savage animals when placed in life-or-death situations. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction.

The Giver

Written by Lois Lowry

A book for readers in grades 6 and up reviewed by Donavan

        

The Giver is a novel about a child named Jonas, who lives in a society where everything is the same. People who live in this society only see in black and white. They are also unaware of their history. After he is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory and the current Giver’s successor, Jonas slowly acquires many memories, which leads him to begin seeing things in color and become knowledgeable of his society’s history.

I did not find The Giver to be very engaging. The storyline failed to excite me, and I found it to be frustrating at times. A moment that disturbed me was when the release (or murder) of a baby took place because of their condition. This didn’t make me sad as much as it made me angry.

It is later revealed that the previous Giver couldn’t handle memories and released herself. I found this to be one of the only upsides of the book, since it adds more to the responsibility that the Giver has.

Overall, this book is all over the place and didn’t personally click with me.

The Hunger Games

Written by Suzanne Collins

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Carlos

    

The Hunger Games is set in Panem, which has a Capitol surrounded by twelve districts. Every year, an event called the Hunger Games takes place. During the Hunger Games, children from the twelve districts are forced to kill each other.

The book's main character is Katniss Everdeen. Her little sister, Prim, is chosen to fight in the Hunger Games. Scared for her sister, Katniss takes her place. To win the Hunger Games' death challenge, Katniss knows she has to be smart, fast, strong, and fearless.

I liked this book because the scenes and plot were very interesting. The characters were well written, and the pacing of the story was well done. Overall, it was very interesting to see how the characters felt and acted during the Hunger Games.

Divergent

Written by Veronica Roth

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Adanya

    

Divergent is the first book in a dystopian trilogy set in a society that is organized into five factions: Amity, Erudite, Candor, Dauntless, and Abnegation. When Tris takes her aptitude test, she gets surprising results: she’s Divergent.

Tris transfers to the Dauntless faction, where she meets another Divergent named Four. Together, Tris and Four try to keep their secret while keeping the balance between the factions.

I would recommend reading Divergent because it has many lessons, such as that it’s okay to be different, that the decisions you make have big consequences, and that only you can choose to be who you are.

The Maze Runner

Written by James Dashner

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Andielynn

    

The Maze Runner is a dystopian novel where a group of individuals are locked inside the Glade, a prison with four high concrete walls. Outside of the Glade is a giant labyrinth known as the Maze.

When the Glade's walls open up, the people inside, who are known as Gladers, run out to try and escape the Maze. However, there are creatures within the Maze's walls that could attack and instantly kill them. After trial and error from each of the Gladers, they finally sprint to the Maze's exit only to realize they were all just test subjects for an organization.

I really liked reading The Maze Runner because its action and suspense kept me on my toes. I also like that the book has a movie adaptation. The film makes it easier for readers to visualize the book's events. However, I liked the book better because I felt that the movie did not really capture some of the things that the author wrote.

The Giver

Written by Lois Lowry

A book for readers in grades 6 and up reviewed by Jose

    

The Giver is about Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy living in a dystopian world where everyone is assigned a role for the rest of their lives. Everyone seemingly lives a life devoid of pain and suffering, as well as individuality.

When he becomes twelve years old, Jonas is assigned to be the Receiver of Memory. He receives training from The Giver, who gives him new emotions and memories. Jonas has to deal with these emotions and memories, which are both positive and negative.

This book was compelling to read. I liked how it illustrated the society Jonas lived in and how life typically goes for its inhabitants. Overall, I enjoyed immersing myself in Jonas' world.

Divergent

Written by Veronica Roth

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Andielynn  

    

Divergent is a book about a society that is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. At the age of sixteen, each individual must take a test that will determine which faction they will be placed in for the rest of their lives. However, when the main character, Beatrice, who also goes by the nickname Tris, takes the test, her results come back inconclusive. According to the test, Tris fits into all five factions, meaning she fits into the Divergent faction.

I really enjoyed reading Divergent because its plot is very similar to books and movies like The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games. I like storylines set in post-apocalyptic worlds because they encourage you to think about what you would do in that type of situation. The imagery was also very good. During my read, the book's figurative language helped me imagine what was going on.

Fahrenheit 451

Written by Ray Bradbury

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Silvia

    

Fahrenheit 451 is a very interesting book in that it shows a world consumed by technology where books aren't allowed to be read. Though the job of a firefighter is to stop a fire from growing in our world, it is the complete opposite in this book. If someone is found reading a book or has books in their home, firefighters burn them. Guy Montag, a man who is curious about a book and is also a firefighter, winds up escaping his town after being caught reading a book.

I would recommend this book to young adults.