"The Elite" by Kiera Cass

4 of 5 stars.

The Basics: The story of America, Maxon, and Aspen continues in this second installment of The Selection series. There are 6 girls left and though Prince Maxon would drop everything for America, her feelings are wavering between the familiarity of Aspen, questioning her ability to be a princess and deciding if she can trust Maxon. On top of that, the rebels are still attacking the palace. Luckily, in a resurrection of the Halloween holiday, America gets to see her family. The events after Halloween leave one of the Elite chastised by the palace and changes America's feelings towards the prince.

My Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely wasn't as good as book 1, but I am so hooked into this series. Now, America was getting on my nerves in this book. I initially enjoyed this series because America wasn't the typical, annoying, cry-baby protagonist....but she proved me wrong in The Elite. She was a chronic cry-baby. Luckily, her constant crying started later on in the book, so I wasn't too put off not to complete the novel.
I wish she would decide who she wants to be with. She keeps flip flopping. At one point I think she is dedicated to Maxon and has resolved to keep Aspen as a distant memory, but then she changes her mind. By the end of the book she seems to be all for Maxon, but I'm guessing that will change in book 3, The One. We shall see.
By the way, I am Team Maxon.

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!

"The Prince" by Kiera Cass

4 of 5 stars

The Basics: This novella is Prince Maxon's perspective of the events in The Selection. The novella starts shortly before the women are chosen and enter the palace. The reader learns that the process for the Selection is not as random as one would think, even though the reader kind of suspects that anyway. The novella ends at about the point where Maxon first meets the girls and has a one-on-one with them before breakfast. We learn that he has hope that he can change America's mind so that she may actually fall in love with him.

My Thoughts: The novella was great because I like Prince Maxon and I enjoyed The Selection so it was nice reliving those events through his perspective. The novella is really short though. It was more like a short story versus a novella. Either way, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading The Elite.

"Bleed" by Laurie Faria Stolarz

2 of 5 stars

The Basics: This short novel is a compilation of stories from the lives of multiple teens whose lives intercept each other. The events within the interwoven stories take place within one day in the city of Salem, Massachusetts. Some of the issues presented are overeating, sex, sexual abuse, cutting, depression, homosexuality, and jealousy.

My Thoughts: This story was blah! That's how I felt as I read this, blah! Though many serious issues are presented within the text, the point stays mute because the issues are not discussed or handled. For instance, Maria cuts herself and is seemingly dealing with depression. She cuts herself as a release from the angst in her life. Her "uncle" sexually abuses her, she doesn't know who her father is, and her mother seems absent. But, that's all we know. Her story is so abrupt that I don't know the point of telling her story if there is no progression or lesson learned. I would like to ask the author, what is the point? Is it just for recognition? In that case, we know that these issues are alive in the lives of preteens, teenagers, and even adults. But why is the plot so weak?

Either way, I know that Stolarz is a New York Times Best Selling Author, so I would like to read more from her but this book fell completely short for me.

I definitely would not recommend it to my students because I feel as though the purpose of this book is completely lost in the lack of plot progression. As a reader, I want closure and I know that's not always possible, but some kind of purpose for these characters presented problems would be nice.

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!

"The Queen" by Kiera Cass

3 of 5 stars

The Basics: This novella tells the story of Queen Amberly, during her time in the Selection. This is part of The Selection series. The events obviously occur many years before The Selection, and even before Prince Maxon was born. The reader gets some insight into Amberly's journey to becoming queen. It also gives insight into Clarkson and his tumultuous family. 

My Thoughts:This novella was Ok. There was nothing too interesting or intriguing. It was nice to get some insight into Amberly's medical situation (since her sister hinted at it in The Selection). It was also nice to read about the kind of person Amberly is. She seemed to be very submissive, reserved, and humble. I would like to see how her character develops within the series, if Cass decides to develop her character at all.

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!