I am a bit behind on my reviews, so am doing a post that briefly states what I read over the past couple of months.
1) The Guinevere Deception is a fun take on King Arthur/Camelot. It is the first of a series and I really enjoyed it.
2) Scars Like Wings is a debut, and is amazing. Erin Stewart the author visited our school, and gave a wonderful presentation, which I didn't see but did hear about (for 8th grade students). In short, a teen is recovering from a horrific fire, and is adjusting to going back to school. I predict pink wigs will soon be a fashion statement...statement being key.
3) Framed! A wonderfully fun start to a mystery series staring a 12 year old D.C student who assists the FBI. Great friendships, logic, and a good overall read for MS students
4) This Land is Our Land: should be required reading for all. It truly puts into perspective our history in the world, with our immigrants, and migration causes in general.
5) Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. A fun, pretty wild espionage tale also featuring a 12 year old. Slightly less believable, but fun for students who love Spy School, and really love lots of chase scenes.

Exciting debut

Wow...I am so excited by this series' debut: The Testing by Joelle Charbonmeau, which will be published June, 4th. The writing was compelling, and the suspense level was quite high. I was honestly nervous at various points.

While many dystopian novels are compared to The Hunger Games, I think in the future, they will be compared to The Testing.

I have read many of these series, and often feel they could have been better written if they had just remained a stand alone novel...that too many writers are creating trilogies where only one book is needed. Cinder and Divergent being the recent exceptions.

I don't feel that way about The Testing. I am so looking forward to reading the next book, and will re-read this one when I share it with my book club, colleagues and students.

The plot sounds trite, in a way...a young girl waits to see if she is chosen for...in this case, higher education in a bleak, war destroyed, future. However, Charbonneau ratchets up the tension via her writing style and plot points.

If you would like to read a prequel, here it is: http://www.hmhbooks.com/thetestingtrilogy/prequel.html