Article 5

December 12, 2011
In her debut novel, Simmons portrays a right-wing dystopian America still reeling from a vaguely described war. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller lives quietly with her free-spirited mother, trying to avoid the puritanical Federal Bureau of Reformation and their increasingly stringent Moral Statutes. When Ember’s mother is arrested as morally suspect (she’s an unwed mother), Ember is carted off to a repressive reform school that is essentially a concentration camp. Worse, one of the soldiers involved in the arrest is Ember’s former boyfriend, Chase, now barely recognizable in military uniform. The novel details naïve Ember’s experiences first as a prisoner, then as a fugitive, with the emotionally scarred and secretive Chase as her companion. Heavy-handed in its delivery, the tale is well-written, though there are occasional clunkers (“I answered as assertively as I could. I was so mad my organs vibrated”). Simmons’s story includes a fair amount of believable action, a few mildly horrific events, and some not quite R-rated romance on its way to a conclusion that sets up the next installment in this planned trilogy. Ages 14–up. Agent: Browne & Miller Literary Associates.

January 15, 2012
In an unimpressive dystopian romance, a girl flees a repressive institution with the soldier she once loved. After a war whose details never quite emerge, the U.S. government authorized the Federal Bureau of Reformation, better known as the Moral Militia, to arrest any citizen in violation of the stringent "Moral Statutes." Ember's mom is arrested for violating Article 5--having conceived a child out of wedlock--and Ember is sent to a girls' rehab where rule-breakers are punished with violence and those who try to escape are shot. Ember does escape, however, with the help of Chase Jennings, a friend who joined the Moral Militia years earlier, and most of the book chronicles the pair's tense and treacherous journey in search of Ember's mother and safety. That the two have feelings for each other is immediately clear, but drawn-out misunderstandings and a tedious unwillingness to communicate keep the two travelers at odds. Despite the book's implicit critique of sexism ("[women]'s subservience" is mandated by the Articles), Chase is portrayed as knowledgeable, street-smart and in charge, while Ember is loose-tongued and impulsive, frequently requiring Chase's assistance to get out of a scrape. There are a few engaging action scenes here and there, but overall, it's a disappointment for romantics, feminists and dystopia fans alike. (Dystopian romance. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Ember tries her best to stay under the radar and not be noticed. The U.S. has changed since the war and the bombings. It is no longer a country of freedom and tolerance; instead, sexism is disguised as morality. From life choices to clothing, men and women must adhere to strict gender roles. Ember's mother is arrested under Article 5, a law criminalizing the birth of a child out of wedlock. It does not matter that Ember was born long before the war. While her mother is in jail, the teen is sent to a reform school to make sure that her illegitimate birth has not polluted her beyond redemption. To make matters worse, Chase, the boy she loved and who seemed to love her, is the drafted soldier who transports her there, and he treats her with a cool disdain and detachment. At the reformatory, she is beaten and threatened by the guards. Months pass, and one day Chase shows up to take her to her mother's trial. What follows is a harrowing adventure played out by an AWOL soldier and an escaped prisoner. Ember cannot figure out why Chase came for her, but he seems willing to go to any lengths to protect her. Will they make it to freedom? Article 5 can be compared to Lauren Oliver's Delirium (HarperCollins, 2011) in terms of the control of emotions and morality imposed by society. The escape story is interesting, as is the fragile rebuilding of trust between the teens. Ember's feelings of helplessness are palpable. The story is well written, and the descriptions are vivid. Fans of dystopian books will love this debut novel, the first in a series.-Melyssa Kenney, Parkville High School, Baltimore, MD

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Grades 7-12 After the war, a new government took over the U.S. and replaced the Bill of Rights with the Moral Statutes. Now everyone has reason to look over his or her shoulder. Seventeen-year-old Ember has already lost her boyfriend, Chase, to the Moral Militia, as he was called up to be one of its soldiers. But she never expected to see him arrive at her home to arrest her and her mother for indecency (Ember was born out of wedlock). The story proceeds as readers of dystopian novels will expect. Ember is a feisty heroine who manages to get herself into and out of some deadly scrapes. When she meets Chase once more, she must try to trust again, even as she learns more about what he has done in the service. The action never stopsnot even long enough, really, to let the romance inand the plot is pushed by the characters' reluctance to talk to each other, even though the opportunity is there. The story could conceivably end with the book's last page, but it probably won'tthere is still a government that needs overthrowing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)