This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Griffin
Publication Date: June
19th
Source: Publisher
Rating: I liked it
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken
cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t
stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring
them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that
doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s
failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give
up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness
the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But
as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and
soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside
and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and
death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
The Skinny: A dash of Lord
of the Flies and a scoop of reality
I have not read a lot of
zombie books, so when I heard about This
is Not a Test, I was excited to read it. The idea of teenagers seeking
shelter in a high school and having to band together in order to survive is an
intriguing storyline. What would these kids do when faced with important
decisions? How would they cope with the stress and fear of being alone? This is Not a Test answers each of these
questions and provides a realistic view
of what would happen if teenagers were placed in such a situation.
The characters are all different manifestations of
coping mechanisms when faced with trauma or conflict. One is angry, one is fearful, one is aloof, and
one is silent. Sloane, our main character, is so different from most YA
characters. She has experienced great abuse and torture. She does not have a
stable family life, and she is more interested in ending her life than fighting
for it. It is so ironic that she is placed in a situation in which she must
fight to survive when she was unable to keep fighting. I really liked Sloane
and thought that she behaved in a realistic and consistent manner throughout
the story. The other characters are interesting, and I liked seeing how each
one handled the stress and loneliness that came with the constant fear of
death.
The writing is good and
situations are described realistically. Just
enough information is revealed to keep readers interested and guessing. The
twists and turns are unraveled slowly, so a lot of tension is built up before
the great reveals. The one part of the story that I did not enjoy is the end
when information is revealed about her family. It seemed a bit farfetched to
me, and I did not understand it.
Overall, I liked This is Not a Test. Though I wanted a
bit more zombie action, I appreciated
the deeper themes that Summers included in the story. Abuse, conflict,
anger, and fear are all touched upon in this YA novel. Summers does not gloss
over difficult subjects and really embraces the difficult and true parts of
life. The best part of this book is that it is realistic in terms of emotions.
Some people try to be leaders when dealing with emergency situations, while
others will resent those who try to the lead. Others will follow and others
still will break away. It’s a good read, and I recommend it to readers who are
looking for a deeper YA.