Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Divergent by Veronica Roth...

How I Heard About It:  You would have to live under a rock to not have heard of this book.  This was actually picked as a BBC (Boy's Book Club) selection so I finally had a specific reason to read it.  

What It Is About:  Beatrice lives in futuristic Chicago and the society is divided into five sections (fractions).  When children turn 16 they pick the fraction in which they will live and devote their lives.  Beatrice must pick between staying in her family's fraction or switching to the fraction where she feels she most belongs.  Once she makes this decision, she must compete in a highly competitive initiation along with other newly appointed members.  She changes her name to Tris and faces the most dangerous tasks she has ever encountered.  All the while she is facing all of these changes, she must also keep a secret from her fellow members of the fraction she is "fighting" against for their top positions.

What I Thought Of It:   I have found that the more a book receives "hype", the more I feel let down when I actually get around to reading it.  I am also learning more about myself as a reader.  I don't think I am the type of reader that enjoys "futuristic" novels.  A few years back when everyone was reading The Hunger Games, I gave the series a try and didn't find much satisfaction as a reader.  I found the same thing to be true with this novel.  It was an easy story to read, but I couldn't connect to any of the characters and found myself not really caring about them and/or the story.  I didn't mind reading the story, but wasn't drawn to it each night as I am with certain books.  

Who Should Read It:  I guess everyone is reading this book from older elementary readers to middle-school readers to high-school readers to adult readers.  I think this series is definitely catching the wave of readers and has a lot of people enjoying the series.  If you are a reader that enjoys fiction science-fiction/fantasy type stories, then you will certainly like this book and series.  Happy Reading!!!

Rating:  3 STARS out of 5 Stars





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