Novel: Divergent

Of all of the books on the current reading olympics list, the most exciting one for me was Veronica Roth's Divergent. Like The Hunger Games it is a dystopian novel of the future where teens are tested and placed into "factions" or towns where a certain personality trait or virtue is nurtured and utilized to the betterment supposedly, to the society as a whole. These factions include candor, erudite, dauntless, etc. Again this book has a strong leading female character named Tris who tested as "divergent"meaning that she has strong capabilities in several factions and can not be easily manipulated. There are many physical as well as mental challenges that all of the teens must face and who is behind it all; or what is the master plan; and how are virtual simulations used to direct the actions of the groups? This is a great series and those who enjoyed books like The Hunger Games won't be disappointed.  Veronica Roth was nominated by readers has having one of the best YA books of 2011. See her interviewed here.