Kevin’s Comments (group member since Jul 10, 2014)

Kevin’s comments from the Open World Learning Community '14-'15 group.

Take a look at the rubric. This does not fulfill the requirements of the assignment.

LT1: I can read and understand books written at an appropriate reading level.

Your LT1 grade for Reader's Workshop will be determined by observation of your reading in class, as well as the book reviews you add to this site.

Please refer to the rubric for guidance on writing these reviews.

Although every one of us reads at different speeds and interests, plan to complete and review 3 books each quarter. If you are reading books that are very long, or feel unable to hit this target, please speak with me and we can work something out.

This assignment is meant to be a fun way to learn about what we are reading as a community of readers and writers.

Readers who are clearly putting in significant time outside of school to develop a lifelong relationship with reading, can show this by completing additional reviews. Students that show this exemplary achievement in their reading with 4 or more quality reviews of books considered at the high end of the 6th grade level may be awarded an E on this LT.

Reviews should be written from your Goodreads profile, and then copied and pasted into our group. Make sure you follow the proper format for titling your posts:

Title by Author (Qtr2, #_, __/__)

ex. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Qtr2, #1, 11/04)

If you are using the desktop version of the site, then you may embed your review in a post. See youtube or other resources for information on doing so.

Please feel free to comment on your classmates' reviews, but make sure that you are being responsible and adding to the conversation. Show good stewardship online by not creating useless content and/or comment threads.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Divergent by Veronica Roth, the first book in a trilogy, is an action-packed novel that fits perfectly on the dystopian science fiction shelf alongside The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago with crumbling buildings and “Marsh Michigan” where the Great Lake used to be. The residents of this city are divided into five groups, or factions, based on their personality. Instead of a driving-test, sixteen year olds must work through a computer simulation that observes the way they behave and then suggests the best faction for them to join.

The action starts when Tris, the main character, gets some surprising results on this test, and ends up joining a faction that values fearlessness and courage above all else. Tris participates in a gruelling initiation to enter this faction and learns about herself and some of the evil things happening in the city.

Divergent kept me on the edge of my seat, and I just had to keep reading to find out what happens next. The central idea of the book, that people can’t easily fit into categories, was very interesting and it kept me thinking the entire time. The futuristic Chicago felt alive, and Roth used descriptive language to make the world come alive. Describing Millenium Park, Roth writes, “it is a stretch of bare land and several rusted metal sculptures– and it is a stretch of bare land and several rusted metal sculptures– one an abstract, plated mammoth, another shaped like a lima bean that dwarfs me in size.”

My biggest complaint with Divergent is that I was much more interested in the action and adventure than the romantic plot that takes place between Tris, and Four, one of the leaders of her new faction. I found myself skimming over entire pages to get back into the action. Instead, I got dialogue like following scene with Four speaking to Tris, “‘I might be in love with you.’ He smiles a little. I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.’” However, this was a minor complaint, because the rest of the plot was so interesting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in science fiction, and thinking about ways that our future could be different than today. Divergent has also been made into a major motion picture, which wasn’t very good. I am glad that I read the book first, and I recommend that you do the same.



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