All Good Children/ Catherine Austen
It's the middle of the 21st century and quick-witted, prank-pulling graffiti artist Maxwell Connors is more observant than the average New Middletown teenager. And he doesn't like what he sees. New Middletown`s children are becoming frighteningly obedient, and their parents and teachers couldn`t be happier. As Max and his friend Dallas watch their classmates transform into model citizens, Max wonders if their only hope of freedom lies in the unknown world beyond New Middletown's walls, where creativity might be a gift instead of a liability. Discussion questions:
-Here we go with another book about dystopia, a very popular topic for teens in the past few years. What is it about this subject that seems to strike a cord with readers?
-In your opinion, what was the author trying to relate in the story? Is "nesting' a good thing? Is this a question of conforming to society or is the character of Max the author's way of striking a vote for individuality?
-On a scale of 1-10, rate this book.
This book was beautiful. It was witty, clever, provocative, intriguing and touching, and is definitely my favourite nominee (sorry Dark Inside). The characters were so vivid and loveable that I could not help but think about them long after I had finished the book and started a new one, and it was almost as if I had known them personally. The plot was original and interesting, and it raised some important questions on ethical and moral issues on topics such as conformity versus individuality, and surviving versus living. It made me smile, laugh, and almost cry (almost), and held my interest tight in its grip throughout. I find it difficult to describe exactly what I liked so much about it, but I strongly suggest you read it yourself and find out.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fight to keep reading this book for the first half. The characters were great, the story was great and the writing was great but I found it just didnt grip me like a good book should. Though the story was great the actual events were usually uninteresting and boring. Not because there was no action but because they were not filled with suspense or joy or dread or any emotion aside from the occassional humor. It was hard to keep reading because I just didnt find it interesting. However in the latter half of the book it was hard to stop reading. All the complaints I had about the book dissapeared in the last chapters of the book which were teeming with emotion, suspense and great content. It shocked me that the book got so good so fast and everything I disliked about the book was fixed. I loved how Max's character gave me hope through the book even when he had none himself and he constantly made me think about the real value of indviduality. This book to me seemed like a great statement about being true to yourself and not letting yourself become another "Zombie" of society (Though I think some people could be a little more calm and normal and all together less nuts) I liked this book alot though I dont think it utilized the dystopia genre to its full effect, things certainly could have been alot worse and usually is in a dystopia book. I like dystopia books because they always give me a reality check on how good we have it and how bad it can be and I think that might be why alot of teens like it because it makes their problems seem insignifacant in comparison. This book is pretty dull for the first half but the last half is full of enough exictement and suspense and sorrow and hope to last 2 books. I give All Good Children an 8 out of 10 because I really loved this book and like a truly great book it has its sad parts but it is not focused on being a sad and depressing book and is filled with hope and all those defeats only make the victories that much sweeter
ReplyDeleteI really loved this book. The beginning was slow,but the characters and story line were great- Brooke
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