SuitabookNoble conflict
Malorie Blackman
- Reading
- Read together or check in afterwards if conflict-heavy dystopian stories feel intense. You could pause at turning points to consider what Kaspar knows, what he suspects and what remains uncertain.
- Themes
- Theme in context: Kaspar grows up in a society based on peace and harmony, then joins a force charged with protecting it from rebels. He comes to question what he has been told about the rebels and his purpose. Kaspar’s changing understanding brings his trust in what he has been told into tension with the Guardians’ duty to defend peace.
- Visions and memories: After meeting Rhea, Kaspar experiences strange visions and memories that seem connected to her and prompt further questions. These experiences provide a mystery that drives Kaspar’s search for understanding.
- Worth knowing
- The story’s premise includes a war that destroyed much of the world, rebels described as brutal, and a peacekeeping force charged with protecting the city.