Ordered to steal the script for Hamlet, Widge is taken to London and forced to attend a performance of the play. Instead of concentrating on stealing the script, he becomes engrossed in the show. Reluctantly, Widge admits his failure to Falconer and is told to return until his mission is accomplished.
Nothing goes as planned and a very surprised Widge finds himself an accepted member of the backstage crew. Once a lonely outcast, he has friends and a place to call home for the first time in his life. Will he have the moral integrity to disobey his master or will he betray his new family? Set in Elizabethan London, The Shakespeare Stealer introduces us to Shakespearean stagecraft, life on the streets of London and to the truth behind the youthful appearance of Queen Elizabeth I!
Find The Shakespeare Stealer at your local library. Though the reading level is middle to upper elementary, sensitive children may find it very disturbing. Find The Slave Dancer at your local library. This serious book deserves time and close attention. There are many big political and philosophical ideas, and mentions of events that may disturb some children, including a plane hijacking, imprisonments and deaths.
Families can talk about and compare what was happening in America during that time. Are grandparents available to share their own memories of the Cold War era? Families can also explore the Western cultural touchstones that meant so much to Sis — the Beach Boys, the Beatles. Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain at your local library. Polly Horvath - Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pages.
Ratchet loves her selfish mother but receives little in return. Tilly and Penpen are un-identical twins who are tremendously eccentric; they are also kind and generous. A laugh-aloud, farcical story evolves from this unlikely premise. Find The Canning Season at your local library. Polly Horvath , illustrated by: Lucky for them they have the author, whose insight into their hilarious misfortunes helps guide them in problem solving.
Find The Pepins and Their Problems at your local library. Tony Baloney is obsessed with David Letterman and is determined to be a guest on his show. This fast-paced, action-packed story is sure to keep the reader amused — top 10 lists and all! Jack Gantos - Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pages. Find What Would Joey Do? Matt is a cabin boy on board a luxurious airship, the Aurora.
Matt meets Kate, who has arranged for a flight on the Aurora so that she can investigate diary entries her grandfather made regarding large, feline creatures with bat-like wings. Soon, the Aurora is attacked by pirates and forced by a storm to land on a tropical island. But they are captured by the pirates, whose hideout is on the very same island. Will Matt and Kate be able to escape?
Rich with action, the character development does not suffer. Matt and Kate are likable heroes, the pirates vile and even the airship, Aurora, takes on a personality of its own. Find Airborn at your local library. Find Chasing Vermeer at your local library. Children will enjoy beating Encyclopedia Brown to the solution in each of these 10 short stories.
The cases require different knowledge to solve them, so this collection is good for budding history buffs and scientists. Find Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case at your local library.
- The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry review – a compulsive novel of ideas;
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Twelve-year-old Claudia and her younger brother Jamie are running away from the tyranny of unappreciative parents and the drudgery of day-to-day living. Claudia has carefully hand-picked the beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art as their new home. There they quite unexpectedly stumble upon an unknown statue by none other than Michelangelo…or is it? Winner of the Newbery Award. Frankweiler at your local library. Find The Homework Machine at your local library. Court intrigues and rivalries, swashbucklers, unlikely friends and a mystery in each book make these very lively historical novels.
Find The Lady Grace Mysteries at your local library. Deborah Abela , illustrated by: Her secret-agent stories take on a new reality when she happens upon a real spy ring. This story is the ultimate thriller for our age. Find Spy Force Mission: In Search of the Time and Space Machine at your local library. Hermux is a watchmaker who also happens to be a mouse. He is mostly content with his life of order and quiet nights curled up with some cheese and a good book, but that all changes when one Linka Perflinger, aviatrix and daredevil, enters and mysteriously exits the picture.
Find Time Stops for No Mouse at your local library. In the piney woods of south Alabama, year-old Moon Blake has been raised by his survivalist father, a paranoid Vietnam veteran. When his father dies, Moon buries him beside his mother, who had softened their harsh existence while she lived. Find Alabama Moon at your local library. Naomi Leon Outlaw is many things: Her journey to find her own true voice and reconnect with her father takes her from a trailer park in Lemon Tree, California, to a radish-carving festival in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Find Becoming Naomi Leon at your local library. Gloria Whelan - HarperCollins Publishers, pages. Set in India, this is a lyrical and compassionate portrait of a survivor. Thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married to someone she has never met. When her new husband turns out to be gravely ill, things take a turn for the worse. Koly finds herself widowed, hopeless and on the streets. Find Homeless Bird at your local library.
Frita Wilson works hard to help her friend Gabe to overcome the fear of bullies in fifth grade. This is an inspiring story about friendship and understanding between an African American girl and a white boy. Find The Liberation of Gabriel King at your local library. A homeless orphan becomes a legend in a town divided by racism in this sometimes funny, sometimes moving, always exciting story. Find Maniac Magee at your local library. Andrew Clements , illustrated by: This is an ear-to-ear-grinningly delightful school story.
Parents need to know that there is nothing to be concerned about here and lots to cheer. Families can talk about silence and civil disobedience. Why does the silence seem so powerful? What do you think of the standoff between Dave and the principal? Find No Talking at your local library. A tonic in cynical times, this book offers a philosophy of life that can have a big impact on younger children. Playing the Glad Game is worth a try for any family. Like other books of its time, Pollyanna contains a few comments that are considered racist by modern standards: Find Pollyanna at your local library.
The other half leaves early for Hebrew School. That leaves Presbyterian Holling alone every Wednesday afternoon with his teacher, Mrs. Neither of them is happy at the prospect, and Holling is sure Mrs. Baker hates him as a result. Baker just has Holling clean erasers, but then decides to make better use of the time by introducing him to Shakespeare.
And as events in the larger world during the school year unfold in the background, Holling begins to learn about himself, his family, friends and the mysterious adult world. Find The Wednesday Wars at your local library. Main characters not only compete in an academic contest contest answers included at the back! Olinski select the children for her team? Olinski, a paraplegic, proves to be an indomitable coach as the foursome wins one victory after another. Find The View From Saturday at your local library. Dan and Zaki Gordon - Delacorte Press, pages.
Children are encouraged to interact with the exciting story. The Bugle Boy models brave steadfast friendship. The toys are animated by the power of imagination, and represent characters from various other stories. Find Davin at your local library. Sherwood Smith , illustrated by: This book transports the reader back to the enchanted land of Oz, but it is a much different Oz than the one to which Dorothy traveled. Two girls named Dori and Em will try to save Oz from yet another wicked witch.
Find The Emerald Wand of Oz at your local library. Follow the adventures of year-old Seh snake , Fu tiger and Malao monkey in 17th-century China. With the many twists and turns in the plot, you never know who is friend or foe. Even family members are not always who they seem to be. Find The Five Ancestors: Snake at your local library. Salman Rushdie - Granta Books in association with Viking, pages. In the real world, Rashid Khalifa, the father, has lost his remarkable ability to tell stories, earning the moniker the Shah of Blah.
Simultaneously, in the fantasy world, stories are disappearing from the Sea of Stories. He encounters situations and characters of great originality, humor and imagination in a fast-moving tale full of word play and clever dialogue. Find Haroun and the Sea of Stories at your local library. Georgia Byng , illustrated by: Mark Zug - HarperCollins, pages.
The high-speed novel fascinates readers as the nasty maharaja of Waqt sets about kidnapping Molly at ages 10, 6 and 3, and as a baby. Will wants to attend Battleschool to serve the kingdom. His bravery and skills eventually fulfill his dream of protecting the kingdom. I was by then already at work on my second novel, The Essex Serpent , but always dogged by a curious sense of foolishness.
I was poor, and getting poorer: Ought I to have been a barrister? Should I perhaps teach? Writing felt, obscurely, like a moral failing. Then I was handed a glass trophy and a cheque at a ceremony in a Norwich department store, and felt suddenly at ease. Most practically, the prize enabled me to replace my laptop with a slender one light enough to carry on trains, and able to retain its charge. I did not need it, precisely — one can write novels in mud with a pointed stick — but I felt like an apprentice carpenter given the tools of the trade by a benevolent guild.
On my laptop, I have written two novels, two short stories, and innumerable essays and articles. It now contains a document tentatively labelled book4. This year I am chair of judges for the Desmond Elliott prize , an award for the best first novel of the year. It was set up in memory of the late literary agent, who arrived in London from Ireland with two pounds in his pocket, and went on to represent Jilly Cooper and Penny Vincenzi.
The debut novelist comes equipped with a certain glamour that swiftly fades. He got some metal window shades. He deserves to die and this country deserves to fall, just because of the principle of evolution and survival of the fittest. These people ain't it. For example, Marlee tells America that girls are all bitchy and out to backstab each other. America takes this in stride, instead of, oh, pointing out that her sisters were great to her?
Why is it okay to say this or perpetrate this kind of belief about women? Of course it's true of some women, as it's true of some men. People lack depth, subtlety, and consistency in this book. As for lack of consistency: Maxon, for example, is described as being not very good with girls "I don't meet very many women," he says at one point. It would be one thing if this was described as being awkward, but instead the women all seem to really like it--so he's inexperienced, yet smooth with the ladies?
Maxon is in general the least sexy 'hero' I've ever read. First off, he's a shitty prince. Sit your ass down. Memorize their names and faces. He's also completely ignorant of what's going on in his country until America tells him and then he becomes an overnight communist because of her. Not that there's anything wrong with communists per se, but I'm still amused. I get that as the prince he was maybe really sheltered from the realities of the caste system, but it's still really unsexy that he hasn't even tried to find out before.
It demonstrates a complete lack of curiosity, empathy, and imagination.
As a love interest, Maxon is just really creepy. He says, "You [the Selected girls] are all dear to me. It is simply a matter of discovering who shall be the dearest. The problem isn't that Maxon has clearly never been laid, which is fine I love non-man-ho heroes! I also really enjoyed this description of Maxon: It was an interesting expression on his face. As for America, her stupidity is kind of endearing. Watching her navigate the world is like watching a toddler cross traffic, only really hilarious. She's unbelievably self-centered, egotistical, and smug.
For example, her treatment of her maids is poorly thought out. It's like Cass wants to make America sympathetic by having her care about her maids view spoiler [such as her concern for the girls during the two rebel attacks hide spoiler ] , but America's actual behavior towards the girls is condescending and smug. Later, she self-righteously says that she "enjoys the company of Sixes. That would be a better way of putting it.
There is no subtlety, no tension. If someone wants to know something? Any character will spill the inner workings of their mind immediately. Someone who is acting according to the dictates of plot instead of human nature and their own characterization. Then another character describes America as 'mysterious' at one point. Clearly, the author's definition of 'mysterious' is very different from everyone else's. Cass is also VERY fond of using the dialogue tag "sing" or "sang out. This is a really idiotic move because I sort of imagine everyone singing in a Miss Piggy tone of voice.
The queen is described as sitting "not in an icy way," in contrast to her husband and son. Which makes zero sense. Posture is not described as icy: You can't just use words because you feel like it. Words mean specific things. Also, someone twirls her fork "menacingly. This is one of those fun things you can try to do at dinner tonight. I get what Cass is trying to go here, but she hasn't described it right. Or it can even be something like, "She was merely twirling pasta on her fork, but she somehow managed to make the gesture look menacing, like she meant to stab me in the eye with it after I was finished eating.
America also puts her books on a "helpful" shelf. That's how I describe all my furniture when they fulfill their function: At one point, America describes Aspen's hair as "scraggly. Ragged, thin, or untidy in form or appearance. Now, I recognize the use of the word "or" in this definition: However, words have connotations as well as denotations, and using the word "scraggly" implies dirty and thin. Probably not how you want people to imagine one of the love interests' hair.
Cass also likes to juxtapose words weirdly, like when America "whisper-yelled" at Aspen, or when Maxon laughs "with a bizarre mix of rigidity and calm," or a character who smiles in a way that's both "excited and timid. America's family is described as poor because they are lower caste. I don't buy it. She has her own bedroom, and her family owns not only a fridge, but a TV, and they eat popcorn while they watch it. And it would have been so easy to do!
Such as, "the fridge was a cast-off from the home of a Three! This would have gone a long way towards establishing America's poverty. Or people are described as "regal" without any indication of what that means stiff posture? Walks with a stick up their rears? America's first breakfast in the palace: Here's another stunning example of Cass's descriptive prowess: The carpets were lavish and immaculate, the windows were sparkling, and the paintings on the wall were lovely.
How big are the mirrors? What kind of flowers? What do the carpets look like? This is not how you write description, guys. The telling, not showing also ties into the bad characterization. We are TOLD, for example, that Aspen's mother is kind, because she "give[s] clothes that didn't fit her kids anymore to families who had next to nothing.
Giving away clothes that you don't use anymore isn't kind, because it lacks the element of sacrifice. It's vaguely charitable at best. If Cass wanted to use this example, she would have had to add something along the lines of "instead of selling it for money. Witness the 'bargain' that America offers the prince during their first meeting: Then, after like two meetings dates lol , America is hurt when Maxon didn't tell her something because she thinks that they are 'friends'.
Not everyone is you, America. Not everyone tells all their secrets to their actual friends after YEARS, let alone to random people after a mere days. For example, at one point the prince says, "I hope to find happiness, too. To find a woman that all of Illea can love, someone to be my companion and to help entertain the leaders of other nations. Someone who will befriend my friends and be my confidante. I'm ready to find my wife. Maxon's idea of love is incredibly self-centered: And sure, a princess is public commodity and she should be popular with his people and not embarrass the country in front of other nations.
He wants to enfold her into HIS life. I'm a little confused by everyone's lack of understanding of basic statistics in this book. The selection is a lottery, and your odds are Not Good. And yet this book opens, "When we got the letter in the post, my mother was ecstatic. She had already decided that all our problems were solved, gone forever. The big hitch in her brilliant plan was me. God, if the woman thinks the "big hitch in her plan" is America's stubbornness, she must be dumber than a brick--like mother, like daughter, eh?
Later on, America notes that "families had already started throwing parties for their daughters, sure that they would be the one chosen for the Selection. I would say this is pretty much a master class in how not to write a novel. Aspiring novelists, take note. You can learn more about what not to do spending ten bucks on this than in an expensive university writing program Writing a book is really hard.
I don't respect the way this author treats reviewers, because reviews are for readers, who deserve to know what they are getting for their money. You guys, thank you so much for reading. I am blown away by all of your support. Will attach links soon. View all comments. Anahita Karthik ok I agree your review was amazingly written and your command over language is way better than Kiera Cass's, and that this series ain't as good as it ok I agree your review was amazingly written and your command over language is way better than Kiera Cass's, and that this series ain't as good as it should be considering how it's a freaking bestseller, BUT, JESUS, give the author a break!
This is ruthless beyond Well, anyways, I finally decided to take a chance on it and this review just portrays my initial reaction perfectly. Im feeling pretty indignant right about now. May 12, Kiki rated it liked it Shelves: This book is like those little sachets of Nutella you get as free samples with like a magazine or a packet of Ritz or something, in that it's empty calories lite but seriously delicious.
- Dealing with Isabella (Coming Together: Neat Book 1).
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It's really small and really bad for you and not really that satisfying but shit if you don't enjoy it. Because, no matter how superior you think your tastes are, you will enjoy this. Even just on a voyeuristic level. You just have to forget all of the stuff you know. Like, all of it. Forget what you learned in This book is like those little sachets of Nutella you get as free samples with like a magazine or a packet of Ritz or something, in that it's empty calories lite but seriously delicious. Forget what you learned in civics class and don't you dare remember even one page of that history textbook that your teacher shoved under your nose when you were eleven.
Don't untangle those headphones; don't try to line up the yellow smarties. This book is a house of cards. Really cool to look at, but totally flimsy. And the controversy is such a shame. It's a shame that the creative minds behind this lovably fluffy duck-down are the sort to hurl expletives at honest, non-inflammatory reviewers via Twitter, which is literally the weakest way to attack someone, because were your reasons so flimsy that they wouldn't fill out more than characters?
Personal shitstorms aside, this book has about as much class and substance as its creators, but that's isn't to say that it didn't nicely pad out a two-hour train journey from Dundee to Glasgow. That commute, especially on a Friday lunchtime, is a snore. Add that to a tiny waif of a story with all of the addictive allure of crack and you've got two covers that you can turn in one single sitting. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I didn't have preconceived notions about this one; I mean, come on.
The social drama was embarrassing. Add that to a name like "America Singer" and you've got a character I'm expecting to hate. But the thing was that I totally didn't. I have a bit of a problem with those who expect teen girls in YA books to behave like street-smart successful thirty-year-olds with enough life experience to be able to judge any situation with a clinical and businesslike edge. I know I wasn't like that when I was sixteen, and neither were you.
When I was sixteen I fell in love with a supply teacher and thought that having chipped nail polish made me look edgy. America is kind of like me. She's probably kind of like you, too. She's over-dramatic and foolishly optimistic and she gets swept up by a single kind action from a cute boy. She's a teenage girl. She's also careful, restrained and compassionate. She doesn't swallow bullshit like it's Orange Julius. I'm not usually a huge fan of the whole "I'm special because I'm plain" which this whole book does use as a giant smoke screen for its sexism: Cass gives us commentary on girls and their competitiveness without actually tackling the reasoning behind that, which is of course a society whose foundations rely on a lack of camaraderie between women and this idea that in terms of relationships, men come first.
Who is funding, perpetuating, and benefitting from the Selection? Maxon, who will gain a wife, and the king, who will solidify his dynasty. The queen is merely there for decoration; she says and does nothing of import. This book, had it not been the Nutella free sample of dystopia in which there's no greater peril than running out of bow tie pasta and having to resort to lasagne sheets, could have been a fantastic allegory for the way in which women compete and are punished for it, when in fact it is men and male benefactors specifically who both incite and perpetuate said competition.
We are supposed to hate Celeste because she's our stereotypical heartless mean girl - and YA caters only to the insecurities of those who are visually plain, placing girls who wear lipstick into a terribly unflattering light and only exacerbating "types of girls" - when in fact Celeste and her desperation to climb the social ladder is a blinding example of what this patriarchal power imbalance between men and women has created in Cass's world.
That is, the idea that male acceptance and male pleasure has infinitely greater value than that of women. This idea that men and romance comes first, and female friendships threaten that, and get her! He's all that gives you value, remember? Calling out "all my friends are guys, there's less drama because girls are bitches" gives me immense satisfaction. When I hear that self-important special snowflake shit it makes me want to hurl. Is that any way to speak about your fellow woman? Do you understand the waves that women can make when they work together? This book is nowhere near as bad in this area as it could have been - but we weren't spared disapproving glances at Bariel's breasts or the constant commentary on Celeste and her ridiculously exaggerated competitive antics.
Do me a favour and spare me another wasted concept, because there's no peril to this, and because there's no peril, the story has no weight. None of these girls are being forced to do this. There's monetary gain involved but America's family are not exactly begging for scraps, are they? Why on earth we're watching a middle-class girl agonize so deeply over a silly competition that she chose to enter is beyond me. What's further beyond me is the whole caste system, and why it's even in place, and why this book is a dystopia.
This could have been a four-star read for me had it been set in a high fantasy world, maybe in a kingdom called Candy Land where everything was frivolous and silly with an undercurrent of darkness and social instability. But let's look at the technicalities of this. We have a competition with no negative outcomes that everyone adores except the faceless "rebels" who lack any real presence and who are portrayed as nasty barbarians when in fact what they're rebelling against is fat cats sitting in a palace eating fruitcake while children in the lower castes starve.
The prince for whom they're competing is hot and charming and sweet. Goddamn, nothing about this is dystopian. You might look at the poverty pointedly but is the poverty ever explored in any meaningful way? Is there ever any real commentary attached to it? Jesus, just add some fucking peril to your dystopia.
It's not meant to be serious! Dystopia is a genre that is built around social commentary. Don't you dare come in and fluff up a genre that was created as a platform for authors to offer creative, intelligent critique and discourse on some of the most controversial and powerful social issues in the real world. Dystopia is a gift; dystopian stories can make us better people. This is not a dystopia. It is just silly. This book could have been so much more. It could have been powerful and groundbreaking. It's not like the writing was anything special in some places, it's just plain bad.
This book is filled with some of the most unnatural and stilted dialogue I have ever read or that any of the characters, even those I liked Maxon was an unexpected favourite of mine, even if he is a two-faced spineless dingbat , grabbed my attention enough to make me give a crap. It's just one big pile of wasted potential. And I am so suspicious of authors who say that they "write without agenda" because one cannot claim to do impossible things.
Every single piece of writing in existence has agenda, big or small, powerful or menial. Don't say that you just wanted to write a little light-hearted dystopia that nobody should take too much to heart. Don't do what Lauren DeStefano did when she wrote about rape and polygamy and forced marriage and sex with thirteen year olds and then claimed that there was no social commentary behind it, and that she wasn't trying to say anything with her writing.
Don't fuck with really serious issues and then try to wriggle out of readers' concern or curiosity by claiming that you "didn't mean anything by it". That's lazy and also sort of insulting. All of that said, don't be too surprised by my three-star rating. I'm sorry, but I couldn't award less to a book that engrossed me so, and that was such guilty fun.
I was absolutely hypnotized. How old is this review? And yet it still is right on the mark. I want to read your dystopian novel about an evil ruler with 2 Karen wrote: I want to read your dystopian novel about an evil ruler with 20 wives. Have you written it yet in the past 6 years?
But yes, I'm still working on the book that was mentioned previously in this review! It's my magnum opus. Look out for it being published hopefully in our lifetimes, LOL.
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Kacie Wow, that Nutella analogy? Dec 11, Nov 05, Wendy Darling rated it did not like it Shelves: Reaction before reading this book: I know I may be a sucker for falling for this cover, but look at it! I totally want to go to that party. Reaction after reading this book: I no longer want to go to this party. I did not read this entire book. I took notes for the first 88 pages, read to page , and then skimmed the rest. I think reading more than half the book qualifies as giving it a fair shot.
The Selection arrives with a gorgeous cover and interesting premise. What if a lott Reaction before reading this book: What if a lottery allowed 35 teenage girls to compete for the hand of a handsome prince? I thought this might be a fun and fluffy read, so I pushed aside my initial misgivings about the names and pounced on the chance to read the ARC. Turns out, sometimes your gut is just trying to do its job, as I kept struggling with the book until I finally admitted that I didn't find a single aspect of this story that I enjoyed.
Somehow I missed the early blurb that described this novel as a mash-up between the The Bachelor and The Hunger Games , which is unfortunate because the comparison to the television show is pretty spot-on. Mentioning it in the same breath as The Hunger Games is a travesty, however, since this book barely qualifies as a dystopian novel--and certainly the quality of the story, characters, themes, and writing don't come even close to comparing. Here are some facts which may help you decide whether you want to read this book: Our main character's name is America Singer.
Guess what she does. Her boyfriend's name is Aspen. Attempts to Make This Novel Dystopian: Girls are required to wait until marriage to have sex. Occasional mentions of hunger and lack of makeup. Very obvious protestations that are easily seen through. A lot of whispering to convey dramatic statements. A plethora of exclamation points. Eff you, cell phone commercial. You've ruined whole generations. Contestants vying for a "perfect" guy.
Most Annoying Element of All: The story ends on a cliffhanger, as if there was so much going on in this one book, it could not be contained in a single volume. Why did Mom have to push me so much? Didn't she love Dad? Why wasn't this good enough for her? First my mom, then May, now you. It's getting on my nerves. Aspen was dressed in white. I wanted you; all I ever wanted was you! Whether you'll enjoy this book depends on whether you find any of the above details appealing. If, like me, they make you want to pull out your hair, it may be best to either try this one out at the library first or just admire the pretty cover design from a safe distance.
Putting aside the fact that this probably would have worked better as a straightforward fairy tale without the pseudo-dystopian details, as well as the annoying focus on boys boys boys being the be-all and end-all of this book, the whole thing wasn't really a very enjoyable reading experience to me, not even as mindless entertainment.
I almost wish this were a middle grade novel, except that there are a few too many make out scenes for that. Plus I don't think I would have enjoyed this even at the age of 8. As always, these kinds of books are just a matter of taste. This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. After less than 24 hours of this review being live: Some pretty horrible developments occurred. Please check message on this post if you're interested. Those interested in how this one review still continues to affect me 2 years after posting it should check out the links in message as well. This review has not been altered at all since its publication, with the exception of the addendum, and to delete a quote that was misread.
Nov 17, Emily May rated it did not like it Shelves: I know, I know, I probably shouldn't have read this. But when a series gets to be this popular, I can't help needing to know why. I knew that was her name, I knew it was silly, but whatever, it does not maketh or breaketh a book. Honestly, why I know, I know, I probably shouldn't have read this.
Honestly, why did the author think that was a good idea? Secondly, this book really is just like The Bachelor and nothing else. I know we can jokingly compare the competition of beauty pageants and various reality shows to The Hunger Games , but the fact that this is seriously being compared to putting kids in an arena and letting them kill each other is just hilarious. This is about a beautiful girl who gets so pissed when people comment on her obvious beauty: This beautiful girl enters The Selection - a contest of sorts where the poor competitors volunteer to compete for the heart of a handsome prince.
It draws more attention to how bad it is by the vague mention of poverty, children being beaten for stealing food, social castes that are distinguished by numbers, etc.
A. There are three ways you can create a Gates Notes account:
Cass slips in a small mention of these and then very quickly moves onto the smooching. Our caste was just three away from the bottom. Oh no, I have only a few nice dresses, what is this world?! And Prince Maxon himself is about as sexy as a doorknob, with even fewer brain cells. How creepy is it that he says: Just one more thing. I wasn't going to go into details about the world-building. To be honest, I went into The Selection willing to forgive it for not being very good on that front.
I mean, it's obvious that this book wasn't written for people who care deeply about historical, political and socioeconomic factors. But Cass should have continued being vague, she really should have. Things just went even further downhill when she tried to paint in a back story. How did this world come about? Well, obviously there was a Third World War, duh. And if you had the most basic understanding of history, guess which countries might have invaded - yes, invaded , lol - the United States.
Oh, and maybe the Russians? I cringe just remembering it. Also, why would China invade the US? Unfortunately for them, this didn't get them any money, as the United States was beyond bankruptcy. Why would China be so stupid? Did they think they could just march in and seize the money the Americans wouldn't give them? And then when they don't get their money, they create "The American State of China.
This was way worse than if the author had simply offered no explanation for this society. It's a completely crazy explanation. Maybe Cass assumed her YA audience would be so history-dumb that it wouldn't matter if countries did stupid things for stupid reasons. I guess I learned my lesson about trying out those "popular" books I never read. Laura V I agree somewhat, but with the names thing, you find out later that when they took over the society and forced the castes, they renamed people accordi I agree somewhat, but with the names thing, you find out later that when they took over the society and forced the castes, they renamed people according to their occupations.
Ani Flower Lover I cringe at my 17 year old self, for reading this just because the cover looked pretty Nov 20, Nov 04, Mariya rated it it was amazing Shelves: I know you think there are others here more suited for me and this life, and I wouldn't want you to rush into trying to be happy with any of this. I just want to know if it's possible I don't think I quite expected that once I flipped the first page that I couldn't stop!
But guess what it happened! I am constantly thinking about "I'm not so stupid as to believe that you've completely forgotten about your former boyfriend. Everything about this book I absolutely loved and I have no freaking clue how I am going to wait more than a year for the second book to come out. But they have a caste system in this world that goes from one to eight.
One being very rich and eight being very poor. The Selection gets held for the prince where out of 35 woman he gets to narrow it down to one girl he picks as his princess.
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Since The Selection started, I'd been worrying that it was something that was going to ruin my life. But in this moment, I couldn't think of a time that felt more right. Her mother is very needy and begging her because it is a wonderful opportunity. Even if you don't get chosen as the princess your life changes forever, you will be higher up in the caste system, and it would help America's family.
America doesn't care about any of that though, and plus she has a secret boyfriend, Aspen. It is sort of forbidden too for her to be with him. Later on, Aspen feels America should at least try for The Selection and she gets picked as one of 35 girls. And some problems happen between Aspen and America before she leaves. He leaned in even closer to whisper. Is there any possibility of you having any sort of I felt like she as a very strong heroine.
And she is very unselfish. When we meet Prince Maxon he is everything America thought he wouldn't be. I mean, come on. Maxon has very cute qualities that make my heart flutter. He has a cute reaction to crying ladies and it is funny. I love how he uses the term, "my dear", which America hates. Prince Maxon is very sweet and kind and all her wants is to find a girl among the 35 girls that are at his palace that he could love. That girl may end up to be America though. But the question becomes is America even interested? Is she over Aspen yet? There seems to be a lot going on between Maxon and America without anything actually happening and it becomes clear in my opinion at least that America does like Maxon, but there are things she has to figure out first.
I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head against his chest. Maxon seemed both comforted and surprised by the gesture. I took only a second for him to wrap his arms securely around me. But I most definitely want America and Maxon together. It felt so short. I wish the book was like pages long. I loved it that much! It will be complete torture waiting for the next book in the series. More of my reviews at Mystifying Paranormal Reviews View all 42 comments.
Jan 13, Shannon rated it did not like it Shelves: If you can get past the "I'm smelling my armpit" cover, and also the silly names, and the horribly unoriginal storyline, and the terrible writing What does that leave you then? Seriously, though, read reviews for this one. They're not favorable for a reason. View all 47 comments. Sep 19, Lea rated it it was ok Shelves: