Skyward by Brandon SandersonDescription
In Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward, seventeen-year-old Spensa lives with the burden of her father’s legacy: he is remembered as a coward and a traitor, because he turned back from an important fight against the enemy Krall. In order to prevent other pilots from defecting, his plane was shot down as an object lesson. His name became synonymous with being a coward, which meant that Spensa had to live with the ridicule of her father every day. She knew, in her heart, that her father was not a coward, and she knew that she would prove herself as a pilot.
Now that Spensa is finally of age to take the test the test that will determine her career, she is eager to discover where she will be placed and she is even more determined to become a pilot. But Spensa has no idea how many impediments will be in her path.
Now that Spensa is finally of age to take the test the test that will determine her career, she is eager to discover where she will be placed and she is even more determined to become a pilot. But Spensa has no idea how many impediments will be in her path.
Would I teach this book?
Skyward could comfortably fit into the dystopian fiction unit that I teach in seventh grade. Spensa lives her life trapped on a planet where her people crashed and they are now unable to leave, so they spend all of their energy and resources fighting the enemy Krall. While humans have managed to build a civilization, it is short on anything that does not pertain directly to survival.
Spensa fits into the description of the hero for the hero’s journey and the plot also fits nicely into the hero’s journey. The government and society have many rules governing who is allowed to do what, including tight expectations for behavior based on social standing. Through his cast of characters, Sanderson deals nicely with showing the difficulties of young adults standing at both ends of the socioeconomic axis.
I did not find Skyward to be the same level of excitement as Hunger Games, but I am still curious about what happens in the rest of the series. If I had a student who had read all of the other books that are being offered, I might consider Skyward, but it would not be my first suggestion.
Spensa fits into the description of the hero for the hero’s journey and the plot also fits nicely into the hero’s journey. The government and society have many rules governing who is allowed to do what, including tight expectations for behavior based on social standing. Through his cast of characters, Sanderson deals nicely with showing the difficulties of young adults standing at both ends of the socioeconomic axis.
I did not find Skyward to be the same level of excitement as Hunger Games, but I am still curious about what happens in the rest of the series. If I had a student who had read all of the other books that are being offered, I might consider Skyward, but it would not be my first suggestion.
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