Scythe
Neal Shusterman
2016, Simon and Schuster
9781442472426
Science Fiction
Reading Level: 830L
Interest Age: 14-16+
Annotation: Citra and Rowan are apprentices to a Scythe, the only people who can take lives in a world that has cured death.
Plot Summary: In a world where all illnesses and injuries can be cured, death is almost nonexistent. In order to keep the population under control, there are people called Scythes who have the ability to take lives, and are required to kill a certain number of people. Scythes must take apprentices who they can train to take over their position. Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentices, and the council of Scythes think that the best way to handle this double-apprenticeship is to make it a competition. Whoever does the best job will become a Scythe, and their first official job will be to kill the other.
Critical Evaluation: The concept of this book is really strong. It is not the most scientifically sound premise, but I don’t think most YA science fiction books focus on the actual possibility of the science very much. Still, it is a great premise for a book. Citra is a strong character. think the author did a good job portraying the emotions that the Scythe felt, the guilt and conflict over killing, and the obsession over killing exactly the right amounts of the right people. Citra and Rowan are similarly conflicted and I think their emotions are also well portrayed. The actions of the scythes who like to kill are really disturbing, but in some way the killings by those who hate to kill are worse, because you know that they feel sad and guilty about what they have to do. While this book is not particularly hard to read, I think it requires a mature reader to understand the complex emotions and to process the disturbing material.
Author Biographical Information: Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. (storyman.com)
Ties to Curriculum Units: none
Booktalking Ideas:
- Discuss the different types of Scythes
- Talk about the implications of the science in this society
Challenge Issues: Violence
Challenge Defenses:
- Mention awards the item has won or been nominated for
- State the library’s collection development policy
- Reference the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights
- Provide rationale for the item being in the collection
- As a last resort, offer the patron a “Request for Reconsideration” form
Katey's YA Collection 