Two Books from Neil Shusterman

I really think Neil Shusterman might be a middle school kid.  He just gets them so well, and his characters are so believable...even the ones who have supernatural powers and the ones who live in worlds so different from ours.  

Recently, I read two book by him.  The first one is called Unwind.  Anyone who liked Hunger Games, The Giver, or Matched will like this book.  Here's what the author's website says about it:

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

Then, there's the book Bruiser.  A book about a couple of kids who learn that sometimes love can hurt, but only in ways that remind us how lucky we are to have it.  I thought the suspense in this book was going to make me burst.  I really enjoyed it.  This is from Neil Shusterman's website, too:

TENNYSON:  
Don’t get me started on The Bruiser.  He was voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by the entire school. He’s the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about.  So why is my sister, Brontë dating him?  One of these days she’s going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it’s not going to end well.

BRONTË:
My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way – no right to threaten him.  There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people.  Because when he cares about you, things start to happen.  Impossible things that can’t be explained.  I know, because they’re happening to me.

BREWSTER:
Stealer of screams and thief of anguish,  I am a criminal, but you can’t see it, blinded by your own relief as my body becomes a battlefield in a war that can’t be won.  Will I be the bullet that ends your pain, or will you end mine?

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman has crafted a chilling and unforgettable novel about the power of unconditional friendship, the complex gear work of a family, and the sacrifices we endure for the people we love.

Trust me, Neil Shusterman, is a heckuva an author.  I really think his books are for everyone.  Boys, girls, 6th graders, 8th graders, sci-fi and fantasy fans (try them both), Hunger Games fans (try Unwind), and realistic fiction fans (try Bruiser).

Enjoy, everyone.  And keep reading!

-absk

Matched by Ally Condie

If you liked the Hunger Games, you need to check out this book.

It's futuristic and dystopian.  Ultimately it's a love story, and in the middle of this romance is Cassia, our protagonist.   The Society has matched her with one boy, and she trusts their decision.  Especially since he has been her best friend and favorite playmate since she was a young child.  However, it is her introduction to Ky who really gets Cassia thinking- thinking about the Society, it's rules and data and predictions and perfection.  Who is in control?  What are the important lessons her grandfather tried to teach her?  What would it be like if she could choose her destiny?  

I'm already excited for the sequel due out this fall.  I really recommend this book to Hunger Games fans, but I think the book is more reminiscent of The Giver. The difference between lies in their natures...while Hunger Games is a book about love and war, Matched is a book about love and freedom.

Enjoy it!  Keep reading, everyone.

-abs kujawski

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Want action and suspense? Check.
Want gore and guts? Check.
Want likeable characters? Check.
Want a few who make you laugh? Check.
A few to fall in love? Maybe.

With elements of science-fiction and reality television, with futuristic and realistic elements , Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games grabs the readers from the first page and grips them with such suspense few are likely to successfully put it down until the end.

The book beings on the day of the Reaping, where each District of the post-apocalyptic North American country of Panem must send two youth to the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The government exerts total control over its people, and the Games are just one of its cruel ploys to remind the people their lives are only as good or as bad as the government decides they will be.

The book is a lot like The Lottery (a classic short story by Shirley Jackson) meets Survivor (the popular reality-television series) meets Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare tragedy about two star-crossed lovers). The main characters--Katniss and Peeta--are chosen from a lottery, forced to leave their families, and go to the Capitol where they will be contestants in a grisly Gladiator game.

It must be said that Katniss, who is the Girl on Fire, is a terrific heroine. Two thumbs up for a girl with the wits, strength, and kindness to be a true competitor, a protective big sister, an effective hunter, the pride of her District, and the love-interest of at least a couple of boys. She is a girl who could teach us all many lessons. Speaking of lessons, the book has several to tell....about violence in our culture, about the increasingly desensitizing nature of reality television, about the harm of a government not of the people, and about empathy.

It took me a long to pick up the book but minutes to fall in love with it. I urge all ages to read this book. Knowing two more in the series follow, I predict, as did awesome author John Green) the trilogy will be received with Twilight-esque mania. Join in on the fun. Get your hands on a copy today!

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Keep reading!
-stenson