The Chamber of Five by Michael Harmo-OPTIONAL

Harmon, Michael, The Chamber of Five. Knopf, 2011. Language: R (79 swears, 15 “f”s), Violence: PG-13, Sexual Content: PG-13

At Lambert School for the Gifted, the student body is run by the Youth Leadership, the term used for the Chamber of Five.  Group. When junior, Jason Weatherby, is invited to join the chamber, it’s an honor he doesn’t want, but can’t refuse. Blackmailed emotionally into doing it by the group’s tyrannical leader and pressured by his abusive father, Jason must take the system down from within. Caught between the demands of the corrupt government and his desire to stop the leader from forcing the students to do inappropriate acts in order to stay at the school, Jason recruits allies. Will Jason and his allies be able to stop the Chamber of Five and their tyrannical reign or will Jason be caught on the receiving end?

Many of the characters are not fully developed. The language and sexual content gets old really fast, but the thriller nature of the plot will appeal to fans of horror, suspense, and teens who enjoyed the government vs. teens aspect of Hunger Games. HS. Public Only. OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.