Independent Study

October 28, 2013
Charbonneau continues the trilogy that began with The Testing with this densely plotted follow-up, a tense, paranoid story in which layers of treachery, deceit, and danger are peeled away one by one. Having survived the lethal Testing, which forces the best and brightest of a ravaged and rebuilding future America to fight for survival, and having completed her initial courses at the University in Tosu City, Cia Vale is ready to discover what field of study she’ll be assigned. Like all survivors, her memories of the Testing have been wiped, but she retains vague impressions of the past and a certainty that things are not what they seem. Before she can settle into the punishing workload, she must endure the Induction, a weeklong series of tests and challenges, knowing that any mistake can be fatal. Cia struggles to do the right thing when she uncovers a conspiracy against the government and a rebellion in the making. Charbonneau makes excellent use of her dystopian theme in a twisty story that hits its mark. Ages 12–up. Agent: Stacia Decker, Donald Maass Literary Agency.

June 1, 2014
Gr 7 Up-Cia and Tomas join other colony candidates who survived The Testing and are now qualified to enter the University in Tosu City. Another round of tests sort the colony candidates (along with students from Tosu City) into fields of study. Cia and Tomas are separated-he into biological engineering and she into government. More grueling tests tax Cia mentally, physically, and emotionally, and any failure can mean "redirection." Romance takes a back seat to adventure as the heroine is recruited to collect information on rebel factions and finds her high ideals and integrity put to the test. The cliff-hanger ending means this book won't stand alone. Narrator Elizabeth Morton voices Cia with a measured tone, as she details the action. Almost all voices but Cia are male and sound somewhat alike, occasionally veering towards the cartoonish. Consider where the first audiobook is popular, or purchasing as a set, once the trilogy is completed.-"Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX"

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