The Lunar Chronicles

I was hoping to keep this blog a bit more updated with junior high recommendations, but I've been doing some more personal reading instead. However, this past month, a great series released a collection of prequel stories and an epilogue, so I thought I'd talk a bit about this series.

The Lunar Chronicles

I first heard about this series two years ago from a student. She loved it and did a book report on it. I thought, "No, it's not my type of book." Then last year, another student read this series and couldn't stop raving about it. I still thought it wasn't my type but  I warmed up to it. The final push to read this series happened when I went to a workshop devoted to the Best Books for Grades 6-12 published that year. The presenter said this was a great series and her favorite part about it was that it includes strong female characters. Finally, I said, "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

I'll admit, it took me a little bit to get into it. The premise is that these are science fiction takes on classic fairy tale stories. The first is a cyborg Cinderella (now you can see why I felt it wasn't my "type of book"). I tried to get into it, and finally, I did. I finished the first and ran out to the library to get the next two. And then I preordered the final book because I had to get it the day it came out. Again, the premise is science fiction versions of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. The thing I love about this series is the characters -- they are not perfect. They are flawed characters who show development over the course of the series. The females are not damsels in distress. They are strong women who can save the man too. They each have a unique voice and authentic conversations. They are ethnic -- the series features characters of multiple races and skin colors.

If you choose to read this series: it is a time commitment. Each book gets longer. The last book is 800 pages. (Surprsingly, I did not feel a single page there was unnecessary). It's not a series for everyone, but if you think it might be for you, come check it out of my classroom library! Also, I just learned recently, there will be a follow up to the series in graphic novel form!

(I also feel the need to warn: Fairest is a prequel story to the main villian. It is the most mature and dark book in the series. The series in general is clean, but does feature violence. This one has more mature tones. But guess what, it's not necessary to read Fairest to understand the series, as it just provides some insight into the villian. So if you or your parents want to stay away from those mature elements, no need to read Fairest)