By Lauren Oliver
AR level 5.2
AR points 12.0
Word count: 77,339
Suggest 7th through 12th grade.
I was fortunate enough to meet Lauren Oliver at yet another great event at our local bookstore, Edmond’s Best of Books. She was joined by Adam Silvera, and they offered a scintillating talk about writing inspirations, techniques, and character-driven plots.
My heart was broken in pieces by Oliver’s Before I Fall (I’ll post about that one soon), and I had been obsessed with Delirium, which should have been a movie but never made it from pilot status. So I didn’t know what to expect from Panic.
What the book delivered was a thrill ride from start to finish. The multiple perspectives lent well to the pacing, and trying to figure out motives and who would eventually “win the game” made this a fast-paced read. Of course, I’m always a sucker for a little romance, and this delivered. With Oliver’s ability to write deep characters and nail-biting plots, this novel is worth your while!
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.
Heather never thought she would compete. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.
Kid List 