Article+5

//Article 5// by Kristen Simmons

Yes, another dystopia story, but I enjoyed it. Unfortunately I read this back in May of 2012 and don't remember it clearly. After her mother is arrested for breaking Article 5 of the new Moral Statues, Ember tries to find where the soldiers took her while trying to avoid being arrested herself. Making the story more complex is the fact that the arresting officer was Ember's only love, Chase. This should appeal to both boys and girls. Denise E. Schaaf Goffstown Public Library

- - Set in what is left of the USA, the plot revolves around a teenaged girl whose mother ends up being taken captive by a group of soldiers that include her former (and future) boyfriend. During her rescue attempts she has nasty encounters with government agents, the resistance movement and ordinary citizens caught in the middle. The main characters are pretty well developed, most are very flawed individuals. The ending wraps up most loose ends, but there is room for a possible sequel.

- - So I read this in November, 2012 while a lot was going on in my family life and found the book almost too intense. The reader encounters several violent deaths and "naughty bits" that wouldn't be appropriate for many 9th grade readers. It is a powerful, well-written book that allows teens to examine tyranny and the protections provided by our Bill of Rights.

- - - - - Wally Keniston - Bruce Smith Memorial Library, Oyster River High School, Durham, N.H. 1/24/2013

Another dystopian novel, this one centering on a 17 year old girl, Ember, and her perspective on the tight government/military controlled society & its effects on her and her family. Specifically, it starts with Ember and her mother being seized, due to the immorality statute that makes both of them criminals, due to Ember's illegitimate conception & birth. To complicate things, one of the arresting officers is Ember's boyfriend, Chase. It didn't seem trite as I was reading it, and I am interested in reading on in the series, to find out what happens to these characters. A decent adventure story. Should appeal to both boys and girls high school age. Kirsten Rundquist Corbett Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, NH

I feel we can do better than this book. I found the protagonist, Ember, totally unlikable and self absorbed. Through most of the book she whines about Chase and tries to push him away without really trying to find out what made him change from the person she knew. Chase is a fairly two-dimensional character, formed by PTSD. It just seems that we have better selections on the list. Sharon Flesher, Nashua High South.