Novel Review

Divergent seems to be a hit among adolescent readers.  Some of my sixth grade students chose to read it at the end of the year.  A group of four girls read the novel in pairs and then collaborated as a group to create a Readers Theater script. Let me back up a bit.

As the final project for Literature Circle groups, students needed to collaborate with book group members and create a Readers Theater script.  The unit we were in focused on theme, so students had to pick a part of the novel that would showed the theme of the novel and would entice the viewers to read the novel.

This group enticed me to read the novel,  Divergent:  In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself (Barnes and Noble).  I was so engrossed in the novel at one point when I was reading in a waiting room that I didn’t hear the nurse calling me.  She had seen what I was reading and commented that Divergent is a great novel and movie.   Although I loved this novel, I do have a disclaimer.  It may not be appropriate for all middle school students because of the content.  It is important to know this when choosing to read the novel.

Readers Theater is a great activity to ensure collaboration between students in order to express their creativity and knowledge of a novel. It is also another way to promote good reads.

More Readers Theaters will be posted.

Happy Summer!