Divergent Series #1
Author:
Veronica Roth
Autumn’s Rating:
♥♥♥♥♥
Minimum Recommended Age:
14+
Summary:
This series is set in a futuristic version of Chicago that is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Dauntless, and Erudite. Beatrice is turning 16 and has to decide which faction she will devote the rest of her life to. The test results are inconclusive, meaning she is Divergent and she is told not to tell anyone. The decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is, and she can’t have both. She makes a choice that surprises everyone including herself. She chooses a new name for herself, Tris, as she goes through initiation with the rest of the group. Tris has to decide who her friends really are, but she also has a secret that she has kept from everyone that could mean death. Will she be able to use her secret to help save the people she loves, or will it destroy her?
Positive Messages:
Bravery, selflessness, kindness
Tris and Four are good role models for a teen relationship. They see each other as equals, defend one another, and work through their problems together. They take their time with the romance too.
Language:
Hell, damn, stupid, loser, jerk, shut up, freak, and idiot. The Lord’s name is taken in vain multiple times.
Violence & Scariness:
Some of the Dauntless faction are vicious and sadistic. People fight each other frequently to earn respect. The initiation process is brutal, and several characters are seriously injured or killed. They have to jump out of a moving train onto the roof of a building, then jump off a seven story building without knowing what lies at the bottom. A gun is held to an initiate’s head because he is not paying attention. Tris has to stand still while knives are thrown at her head. In the virtual simulation, initiate’s have to face their deepest fears including kidnapping, shooting family members, and drowning.
The violence escalates at the end of the book. There is an ambush and some characters are killed. Two characters are nearly choked to death. There is an incident of physical assault where two males grope a girl’s chest and make rude comments about her body. Multiple males jump on Tris and beat her up. Three initiates stab the first ranked competitor in the eye. Tris’ father is killed in a fight. Tris’ mother ultimately gives her life to save Tris.
Parents Should Know:
This is the first book in the trilogy. It includes descriptions of a broken society, Big-Brother type monitoring and romance. It includes romance that progresses from lingering looks to kissing sessions, but there is no sex and characters express their fears of going too far, too fast. Members of Tris’ faction like to try to outdo each other and act recklessly to prove their fearlessness. The Dauntless drink alcohol and in one scene Four is tipsy. Tris’ father gives thanks to God before dinner, and Four has the words “Fear God Alone” painted on his bedroom wall. Tris’ friend Al commits suicide by jumping into the rapids, and in his eulogy the Dauntless leader tells the crowd that Al was courageous by diving into the rapids to explore an unknown and uncertain afterlife. There are multiple instances of injecting characters with serum. The Dauntless routinely get tattoos and piercing. Tris lies multiple times throughout the book.
Mom Says:
This is the first in a trilogy. It has a Hunger Games-type feel, and is again part of the fantasy type series that Autumn loves. I think this content is suited to a more mature reader and I think many kids Autumn’s age would not be able to handle some of the content in this book. The initiation sections are pretty intense, and Tris also loses both of her parents, which is very traumatic. We just make sure to talk about the content of the books as she reads them.
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Accelerated Reader:
AR Quiz No. 14400
AR Points: 16.0
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