Monday, October 1, 2012

Legend by Marie Lu


5 comments:

  1. Great book! Told from the male protagonist's perspective as he tries to keep himself and his family alive as a disease spreads through the society and as he tries to stay out of the hands of the military as the most wanted person. Looking forward to how the series progresses!

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  2. Marie Lu's Legend is Part I of a trilogy. Book II isn't schedule for publication until January 2013 which is a bit disappointing because, now that I've finished the first part, I'm anxious to read the second! This is a dystopian novel set in future Los Angeles (and environs) and, as Ms. Gerdes says, the story features a likeable protagonist who tries to protect his family from plague and an oppressive government. What she doesn't tell you is taht this is also a love story... The fact that Marie Lu was only 14 years old when she wrote this is incredible not to mention inspiring to all young, aspiring writers.

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  3. Student:
    I like the book because from the first page it hooked me, and as it went on it had that detective kinda feel to it and when you think you know who killed him, BAM, more evidence and then you should all be like "oh no! June get away hes going to kill you nonononono XC" and stuff. It is the type of book that takes the elements of 1984 and turns them into a more fun concept and i feel like not many of my friends had fun reading 1984.I feel some students might get confused on the first part because of the changing perspectives, but most would like it.

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  4. Positive Points: I enjoyed reading this. It's a quick read at ~250 pages. The lead characters are likable and their problems are compelling. Written in first person and switching between perspectives, the book has point of view shift that give it an element of craft that might might for interesting classroom discussion/analysis. The novel has both male and female lead characters and has a good amount of action and intrigue, as well as a little bit of romance, so it would appeal to various readers. I think Margaret said it well when she said the main characters act with integrity.
    Negatives & Neutral Points: There are allusions to torture, which might be somewhat problematic. There is also some violence against the main character Day and several murders, none of them gruesomely descriptive, but still murders nonetheless. I found that while I enjoyed reading the book, I was a bit disappointed afterwards. I wanted more back story: Why does this Republic exist? Why is it so coercive and controlling of its citizens? What does the Republic hope to accomplish by keeping down the poor? I don't sympathize well with villains who just do bad things. I need to know why and feel like their reasons are logical (even if their logic is evil or villainous). Accordingly, I didn't feel I understood the motives of the people & government working against our protagonists.

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  5. Legend seems to be about a dystopian version of the United States - it is set in Los Angeles, but LA is part of the Republic, which is fighting a war against the Colonies and trying to hold off rebellions from the Patriots. As others have pointed out, it is told from the perspective of two protagonists: Day, a wanted criminal who failed his Trial and commits acts of vandalism and rebellion while trying to save his family from a mysterious plague that infects the poor districts in the Republic; and June, a wealthy prodigy who earned a perfect score on her Trial and is in a prestigious military training academy for the Republic. As the story unfolds, their lives begin to intertwine, and it would be difficult to say more without ruining the fun of the book!

    Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about this book. I absolutely loved it, and it is by far my favorite of the ones I have screened so far for summer reading. There is a lot of action, the story is compelling and exciting, and the characters are complex, interesting, and likable (and, as Margaret said, they both have a lot of integrity, which is admirable). I know there has been concern about it being another dystopian book, but I think it is really different from anything I have read before (there are even Contagion-like elements in it, which are interesting). It does have violence, but I found it less disturbing than the Hunger Games - there isn't really any graphic detail, it involves adults rather than children, and even the teenage protagonists come across as older than they really are. While it is clearly part of a series and I'm dying to read Part II, I did think it had a beginning, middle, and end, so I don't think students who have no interest in reading Part II will be left completely hanging. I wonder if Book 2 will address some of the questions Amber asked. I agree that those are missing (though it didn't bother me terribly while I was reading - I just wanted to know what happens!); however, I see that being more of a concern with our AP and honors students (or teachers) than with our CP readers who are looking for action. I think it's also a good middle-ground book: it will be a bit challenging for some of our lower readers (anytime there is a fictional society, it takes a few chapters to get your head wrapped around the new terminology), but while it's an easy read for our honors students, the ideas are interesting enough for worthwhile discussion/consideration.

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