Feature Book of the Week
The Testing
by
Joelle Charbonneau
Keep your friends close
and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too
close when they may be one in the same?
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
A Guest Post from Joelle Charbonneau
I am so honored to be included in this year’s Battle of the
Books! Thank you all for reading about
Cia and her Testing adventures.
Growing up, I was a huge reader. I was very well known at my library as the
girl who read everything and read it fast.
They always wondered how I had enough hours in the day to read all the
books I checked out. What they didn’t
know is that I had a flashlight in the drawer next to my bed so I had extra
hours at night to read while everyone else in my house was long asleep. Who needed sleep when the characters I was
reading about needed me in order to move onto the next chapter of their
journey?
Feeling like I was an important part of the story was one of
the reasons I loved reading while I was growing up and now that I’m an author I
realize that I was more important to those stories than I knew. Readers are special and every time they open
a book they make the story special. Even
when everyone reads the same book, no two readers actually read the same
story. Every reader brings to the story
their own experiences. They bring their
hopes and their dreams and their disappointments whenever they flip the
pages. They make the story their own.
You make the story
your own. It doesn’t matter what the
author meant or intended or thought about when they wrote the story. Once it’s in your hands, the story belongs to
you and your imagination.
I really wish I could see what you see when you read about
Cia and Tomas and Will and all the others that live in the world of The United
Commonwealth. I hope you like The
Testing, but more important, I hope you enjoy your part in bringing each story
to life in this year’s Battle of the Books.
You rock!
More About Joelle Charbonneau
Joelle has performed in opera and musical theater productions across
Chicagoland. She now teaches private voice lessons and is the author of
the New York Times best selling THE TESTING trilogy (THE TESTING,
INDEPENDENT STUDY and GRADUATION DAY) as well as two mystery series: The
Rebecca Robbins mysteries (Minotaur Books) and the Glee Club mysteries
(Berkley). Her YA books have appeared on the Indie Next List, on the
YALSA Top 10 books for 2014 as well as the YALSA Quick Picks for
reluctant readers. Paramount optioned THE TESTING as the project is
currently in development.
For more information about The Testing and Joelle Charbonneau visit her website
For more information about The Testing and Joelle Charbonneau visit her website
8 Delicious Comments:
This book almost sounds a little too familiar--it reminds me of the real world. Pressure, betrayal, future, decisions, and temptation. It sounds like Divergent and The Maze. This book had me when it first said, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." It sounds like lines will be crossed, and life will become a bit more critical. If I was Cia, I would choose life without trust because you can't trust anybody anyway. I think I will love this book; it sounds very interesting. Tylea, 8th grader from Lift for Life Academy
This book caught my eye like an isolated flash of light. While I was reading the description, I was bewildered. I was amazed that it had the things I am interested in, such as secret societies and SCIENCE! Also the character is faced with all of these choices she has to make that she knows will make a dramatic difference. Nicholas, 8th grader from Lift for Life Academy
This is just the type of book I'd want to read. I love a book when it's just a few people against the world. I also love reading about fighting through struggles. I will read The Testing without a doubt, and I know I'll love it. Jordan, 7th grader at Lift for Life Academy
This book sounds really interesting. I like how it makes you wonder about what is really going on. Also, I like how she explains what happened in order for the future to belong in the next generation's hands. Camielle, 8th grader from Lift for Life Academy
I would like to read this book. Even though the cover doesn't grab my attention, the summary does. I would read this book because it kind of reminds me of a show I watched call The 100. Stacy, 8th grader at Lift for Life Academy
As one of my students pointed out, the summary makes this book sound similar to Divergent, which makes me excited to read it because I am fan of Dystopian novels. Also, I could really relate to what Joelle said about her voracious reading appetite as a kid and how she secretly stayed up late at night reading. I am excited to "make this story my own" very soon! Ms. Shannon Parker, Librarian at Lift for Life Academy
Although this book is similar to the Hunger Games, I think it builds upon some of the Hunger Games good ideas and fixes where the series went wrong. The Testing is an excellent, heart-pounding read.
We thought that this book was like the Hunger Games met Divergent! It was definitely a lot more gruesome than the Hunger Games...a lot of people die horrible deaths in this book. We think Cia is similar to Katniss in a lot of ways--she's definitely a no nonsense sort of girl. We weren't sure whether to trust Tomas or not by the end of the book. We want to read the sequel to The Testing!
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