Middle school students have reading interests that run the gamut from Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Twilight. Sometimes as a parent it is hard to know what is age appropriate for your child. Through this blog, I will try to help parents make informed decisions about what is available in our library. I am hoping that this blog will be a resource for our parents, and that we can all work together to make our students life-long readers!



Monday, May 13, 2013

Elemental

Elemental
By Antony John
From the publisher:
"A mysterious and powerful fantasy adventure from a Schneider Award winner

In the near future, most of the population of the United States has been destroyed by the plague. The few remaining survivors live in colonies on the barrier islands off the East Coast. In one colony near Cape Hatteras, almost all the members have elemental powers and can control wind, water, earth, and fire. All but sixteen-year-old Thomas. When the Guardians, the powerful adult leaders, are kidnapped by pirates seeking to take over their colony, it is up to Thomas and a small group of teens to save them and preserve the mysteries of the island.
Fast action, strategy, and mystery churn together into a bold and fresh fantasy from an award-winning author.."

Wow, what a great start to a new dystopian series! It grabs you from the very first, and I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it all in one day. It is very exciting, the plot was gripping, the characters were all really interesting and there were some electrifying plot twists. While I loved The Hunger Games and Divergent , I didn't give either one of them 5 stars because there were so many disturbing elements in those books. I didn't feel that way with this one (even though it was about elements :)). It was compelling without being disturbing. I appreciated that there was no bad language - occasionally it would state that a character cursed, but that was it. There was violence, but not the really intense kind that you usually find in dystopians. There was a hint of romance. I highly recommend this one. 

Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+
School Library Journal - Grades 6-10

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