The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

I know that this book will probably get a lot of comparisons to The Hunger Games and Ender's Game, but when you really think about it, most stories are borrowed, similar to or adapted from older tales. Elements of a story can resonate with us from a previous reading of a different story and still be a pretty good read. I taught my daughter early on to make text to text connections, and she is pretty savvy reader now that she is a teenager. Her mind makes connections easily and readily. I feel that is the point of literature - to remind us of our past experiences, and to compare texts is a great way to develop new strategies.

The Testing talked a lot about being able to learn from our mistakes and be able to adapt and grow into a good and capable leader. While the government takes extreme measures (just like in Ender's Game) to ensure that the next generation is capable of leading, the results are leaders who have hopefully learned from their experiences. However, the experiences are erased from their memories so that is lost. So bad government who uses its young basically as test subjects (think Hunger Games).

And the similarities don't end there - Cia could be Katniss in another life. Perhaps, that is why I loved her character. She was tough, capable and compassionate. Cia did not kill indiscriminately, and was quick (sometimes too quick) to trust. Unlike Katniss she has had a great family structure with a caring mother and father. I know that breaks the mold of most children's literature - most of the time the protagonists are orphans. Cia really drew on her upbringing when she interacted with people - she treated others with respect and dignity because that is what she had been taught.

So many questions left unanswered at the end - aargh! I know we live in a land of sequels and trilogies, but just once I would like to see everything wrapped up neatly in a pretty package with a pretty bow. I know that is not how to sell books, but it's all I want for Christmas.

There were many similarities to other novels in this one, but it did not stop it from being a great read. I look forward to (really want right this minute) the sequel and have already downloaded the short story companion. This was well written, perfectly paced with great characters.