This young adult tale is in the style of Hunger Games. The earth has been contaminated by war and Five Lakes Colony needs people at the University to develop crops that can cope with the soil and remain edible. Cia is so proud to graduate from school, at the age of 16, but then THE TESTING begins. She must travel to far Tosu City with three others and if selected they will use their skills wherever they are sent. Her father, who was himself Tested, tells her of his wiped memory and nightmares, of how he never saw any failed candidate again. Whatever Testing involves, he doesn't want it for his daughter. Trust no-one, he says.

Five Lakes had sent no candidate for some years, and is potentially losing the future experts it needs to survive. Cia and her friend Tomas find that there are hidden cameras trained on them even on the journey. The city is wealthy but some people look dirty and hungry even there. Other candidates may try to weaken the opposition, so Cia doesn't accept food from any of them. The first stage is written; history questions on the war and restoration. Cia doesn't like the sound of the team assessment stage to come, and the final outdoor survival stage, while tensions are mounting, destroying friendships.

The style of writing is easy to get into and the story kept me reading. We see that science is prized, knowledge and initiative are survival tools. The real lesson of THE TESTING by Joelle Charbonneau is encouraging young people to learn all they can; our race may depend on them. Undoubtedly this well-written book will gain a lot of attention, so if you know a young person who reads THE TESTING, I would encourage them to discuss it and see which attitudes are relevant to their own lives and which are not.

Book Summary

It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror— await