Written by Sharon Cameron, Rook is depicted in a futuristic setting, though how far in the future I cannot ascertain. It's tagline on the cover states, "What will be has already been." This is very fitting for the book as a whole for a few reasons. The first is that the book jumps from England's coast to France's, Paris to be more specific, and describes the power struggle between those that have and those that do not. This struggles has gotten so intense, people are killing those who have means and money just because, you know, they have it. If you are thinking this sounds like the French Revolution, good for you for catching my drift and knowing your history. (If you didn't think the French Revolution, we still love you.) What makes it a futuristic setting, though, is that the Revolutionaries are in charge, and in many cities and countries, they have abolished the use of technology. All technology. Even lights and clocks. Their reasoning behind this is simple: machines can do the jobs that the lower class citizens do, therefore, the citizens will be out of work and unable to survive. We know it is in the future, though, because some of the wealthy have become collectors of things from the past, like bottles, and they will pay extra for the ones with the mysterious word "diet" on them. While they do have to hide their contraband, they still enjoy possessing a piece of the past. So while the Revolutionaries (they are not called that in the book, but getting into their cult like behavior is better just read instead of explained) are jailing and executing those wealthier and more fortunate, there are a band of heroes attempting to help the prisoners escape. If you are thinking, "Hey, that sounds like The Scarlet Pimpernel that Mrs. P made us read," again, you would be correct! But Cameron doesn't steal the plot of The Scarlet Pimpernel, it is more like a nod of appreciation, going so far as to name the main character's pet St. Just in reference to the characters of the first book. They books differ because we know who our hero is from the beginning, we just don't know who she can trust. Oh, and yea, the hero is a girl. Pretty awesome. It is a book of intrigue and deception, of cat and mouse and strategy, and of good fighting evil. I recommend it for all, and it is in our library.
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Note From Ms. PIt will probably come as no surprise that I am an avid reader. I have also been spending a lot of time in the Dawn Hodges Library here at WAAS evaluating what books we can add to have students really READING. Some of you already read on your own, which is great because reading opens your mind to new ideas and possibilities you might not otherwise think of. It helps you to imagine and live in a new world for a little while, which is something we all need sometimes. Archives
February 2019
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