Legend
By Marie Lu
Penguin Books, 2011
Narrated by Mariel Stern and Steven Kaplan
Genre
Dystopian Sci-fi
Awards
None Known
Review
June
Iparis aced her exam, a test of physical and mental capability all 10 year-olds
must take to determine their educational and career potential and usefulness to
the Republic. She quickly worked her way
through her accelerated high school and college courses. When her brother
is killed by the notorious vigilante known as Day after he robbed a health
clinic for some plague suppressants, June is graduated early to take his place
in the army and makes it her personal goal to capture Day. She goes on an
undercover assignment: living on the streets, trying to make acquaintances who
may know something about Day and his whereabouts. She makes friends with
an unknown boy and his companion, a younger girl named Tess, and spends time
with them in the slums, waiting for a leg injury to heal. She and the boy
start to fall for each other, sharing a kiss one night while Tess slept.
As the boy goes to sleep, June notices him grab at his neck, as if for a
necklace that is no longer there. Horrified, she remembers the pendent
found at the scene of her brother's murder and realizes that this boy is Day.
June reports to her superiors that she found Day and that no one was to
get hurt during his capture. However,
the next day, Day's mother is killed while the government captures Day and his
two brothers. June, loyal to the Republic until Day began telling her
things that contradicted what she was taught, starts questioning her long-held
blind trust in the Republic and finds enough shocking truths to make her
orchestrate Day's escape on the day of his execution. Readers will be immersed in this detailed
story where questioning authority can be deadly, but necessary.
Opinion
The setting is made so real; the back and forth of the chapters between Day's perspective and June's perspective makes the audience understand where both characters are coming from. The technology isn't excessive, but the author seems to warn that in a world where most things are done online, the government can trace it all. A wonderful suggestion for middle grade readers, boys and girls alike. Definetely memorable, this book drives the reader to want to read the next book in the series immediately (though this book does a great job of a solid enough ending to stand on its own).
Ideas
A clear example of dystopian fiction, this book may be used to show the extremes of what could happen under a dictatorship (the Republic's "President" always runs for office, but has "won" 8 elections in a row, with his son planning to succeed him). It briefly touches on the potential dangers of the internet, but mainly focuses on the theme of a society that doesn't question authority.
