The Unknown A gripping dystopian novel for middle school and high school students |
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J.W. Lynne's modern dystopian novel THE UNKNOWN is extremely popular in middle school and high school classrooms and in book clubs. Its unexpected twists and turns captivate both voracious readers and reluctant readers, demonstrating how thought-provoking and exciting the dystopian genre can be! | |
EIGHT CHILDREN WERE
KIDNAPPED. BUT WHY? Eight kids, ages nine to seventeen, awaken to find that almost everything they have ever known has been stolen from them. They were ripped from their beds in the middle of the night and transported to an unfamiliar and unforgiving new world where there are strict rules, and they are punished if they refuse to obey. As the kids grapple with their mysterious new reality, they struggle with disconcerting questions. Where in the world are they? Why were they taken away from their families? Will they ever get to go back home? And the most frightening question of all ... Will this be the place where they die? |
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What teachers
and students
love about THE UNKNOWN: Short suspenseful chapters that are fun to read Fast paced Unexpected twists, turns, and surprises A fascinating dystopian world Cool futuristic elements Narration alternates between multiple characters, offering different perspectives Teen and preteen main characters (9-17 years old) Both male and female protagonists Highly-relatable teenage characters who face real-world issues Both male and female characters are heroic Hints to the surprise ending can be discovered when rereading the book |
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What
educators are saying about THE UNKNOWN: "Great book for any student that says 'I get bored quickly!' Trust me! You won't with J.W. Lynne's The Unknown!" - Mr. Stefanelli "I am an ELA educator, and my class is reading and analyzing The Unknown. We have approximately 200 IB students. They are engaging with this book. It is so relevant to them. Some students are discovering literary device/analysis for the 1st time. It has been a real blessing." - Mr. Nelson "Keeps you guessing until the end. If you like adventurous dystopian mysteries with great characters, then I highly recommend this book. 10 out of 10 stars." - Ms. Murray What students are saying about THE UNKNOWN: "I adored the book. The foreshadowing was really nice. I re-read some of the book for assignments and I realized how great the hinting was to the ending. The way The Unknown was written is amazing and I can't wait to get into some of the author's other books." - M. Bell "This book was one of my favorites to read! It had twists and turns that were very unexpected. You really see how the characters grow with each other each day." - T. Cossio "I have pretty severe ADD, and a deep hatred at reading brought on by school. This book was amazing, so many plot twists, and they were amazingly well written. Mind Blowing!" - Tokero Are students reading THE UNKNOWN in your classroom? Tell the author about your experience! |
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Available
formats for THE UNKNOWN: Paperback (Widely available through numerous booksellers) Get it at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, BooksAMillion, Ingram, and most independent bookstores (To find THE UNKNOWN at your preferred bookseller, search for ISBN number 1082472972) Kindle (Exclusive to Amazon) Get it at: Amazon *Kindle Unlimited members: Read all of J.W. Lynne's books for FREE.* Audiobook (Widely available through numerous booksellers) Get it at: Amazon, Audible, Kobo, Google Play, iTunes (Search the iTunes store for: unknown j.w. lynne), Audiobooks.com, and Hoopla. |
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A guide to
fun activities related to The Unknown: Write a movie scene: Imagine that The Unknown is going to be made into a movie and you are hired as the screenwriter. Write the script for the scene where the kids go around in a circle and introduce themselves for the first time (on the morning of May 1st). Since Harley, Rain, and Lizard introduce themselves "off-camera" in the novel, you will create what they say to the group based on what you know about their characters in the book. Additional fun: 1. Choose a different scene from The Unknown and rewrite it as a script. You can add or remove dialogue, and you can even add additional events that you feel would be appropriate in the story. 2. Cast your script (assign the roles to your friends or classmates) and perform the scene. Cast actors: Imagine that The Unknown is going to be made into a movie and you are hired as the casting director. You will be holding an open casting call and auditioning kids and young adults from all over the world who want a chance to play these exciting roles in the film. The director of the movie has asked you how you envision the actors who would be the best fit to portray Unpleasant, Liam, Harley, Rain, Tiger, Paris, Goat, and Lizard. Sketch pictures of the imaginary actors who you would like to cast in these roles. Additional fun: Write out in words how you would describe the ideal actor's personality for each of the roles in The Unknown. Write poetry: Using images, words, and phrases from the text of The Unknown, write a poem from the point of view of Unpleasant, Liam, Harley, Rain, Tiger, Paris, Goat, or Lizard. Additional fun: Write three poems. Write each poem as if it was written by your character at a different point during the story: one poem written in the beginning of the story (maybe on the evening of May 1st), one somewhere in the middle (maybe on the evening of May 8th or 9th), and one at the end (maybe on the evening of May 10th). Examine a different perspective: Pick a scene where Paris is present throughout the entire chapter. Rewrite that scene from Paris' point of view. Additional fun: Choose a different scene and rewrite it from the point of view of Liam, Harley, Rain, or Lizard. Write a journal entry: Imagine that Harley, Rain, Paris, Liam, or Lizard is keeping a nightly journal. Write a journal entry from the point of view of one of these characters for one of the nights in the story. Additional fun: Choose a different character and write a journal entry from their point of view on the same night. Make a movie trailer: Imagine that filming for the movie version of The Unknown is about to get underway and you have been hired to create a movie trailer. The director would like to see your ideas for the trailer. She has given you only two requests: 1. The trailer needs to get people really excited about seeing this movie. 2. Don't include any spoilers in the movie trailer. Create a 30-second or so movie trailer that you think your friends would enjoy watching by writing a voiceover script and using drawings, photos, or video clips. Additional fun: Make a fan-made book trailer for The Unknown novel and post it online. |
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ABOUT AUTHOR
J.W. LYNNE J.W. Lynne is the author of eleven novels popular among tween, teen, young adult, and adult readers. Lynne lives in Los Angeles, California. She can often be found reading books or hiking in one of California's beautiful public parks. Recommended books by J.W. Lynne include: KID DOCS: (Contemporary/Coming of Age, for ages 11 to 16) Teen doctors learn what it really means to practice medicine. WILD ANIMAL SCHOOL: (Contemporary/Coming of Age, for ages 12 to adult) A girl falls in love with a boy at an exotic animal ranch. THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE: (Dystopian/Thriller, for ages 12 to adult) A teen is locked in a bunker to take a simulated trip to the moon. ABOVE THE SKY: (Dystopian/Thriller, for ages 13 to adult) A girl lives in a world where touching her soulmate is forbidden. |
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An excerpt from The Unknown
This room is about half the size of my bedroom back home.
The only way in or out of here seems to be via hatches: four
on the floor and two on the ceiling. On either side of this
narrow space, there are four chairs and four small tables,
all of them bolted down to the floor. Everything is pure
white, except for a silver sink in one corner with eight
silver cups set above it. Eight rectangular windows reveal
that we are in some kind of aircraft, flying high above a
body of water. An ocean, maybe. But which ocean? End of excerpt Read more of The Unknown by J.W. Lynne at Amazon.com!
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About this novel: Genres of literature: dystopian, mystery, suspense, thriller, sci-fi (science fiction), coming of age, romance (clean), action and adventure, ya Point of view: first person with multiple alternating narrators Gender of protagonists: male and female Page count: under 400 pages Recommended grade level: Middle and high schoolers This book will be a popular addition to your English Language Arts class reading list for 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. THE UNKNOWN tells the tale of five girls and three boys who are taken from their homes in the middle of the night and wake up in a mysterious dystopian world full of secrets. The story is told from the perspective of the kidnapped children, including nine-year-old Goat, twelve-year-old Tiger, and seventeen-year-old Unpleasant. THE UNKNOWN is a unique must-read book for teens and adults who enjoy novels similar to best sellers like THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy (by Suzanne Collins), the DIVERGENT series (by Veronica Roth), ENDER'S GAME (by Orson Scott Card), THE GIVER (by Lois Lowry), THE MAZE RUNNER (by James Dashner), ONE OF US IS LYING (by Karen M. McManus), ELEANOR & PARK (by Rainbow Rowell), SHATTER ME (by Tahereh Mafi), LEGEND (by Marie Lu), UNWIND (by Neal Shusterman), UGLIES (by Scott Westerfeld), MATCHED (by Ally Condie), NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST (by Ally Carter), EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING (by Nicola Yoon), READY PLAYER ONE (by Ernest Cline), THE SELECTION series (by Kiera Cass), THE TESTING (by Joelle Charbonneau), DELIRIUM (by Lauren Oliver), THE DARKEST MINDS (by Alexandra Bracken), THE 100 (by Kass Morgan), THE 5TH WAVE (by Rick Yancey), PROJECT HAIL MARY (by Andy Weir), THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE (by J.W. Lynne), or ABOVE THE SKY (by J.W. Lynne). |
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BOOKS IN THE UNKNOWN DUOLOGY* Book 1: The Unknown Book 2: The Haven *note: The author endeavored to bring The Unknown to a satisfying conclusion, without any major cliffhangers. In fact, The Unknown was originally intended to be the only book set in this world. For this reason, The Unknown may be enjoyed as a standalone book. |
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Additional posts you might find helpful: J.W. Lynne's biography and Q and A The story of J.W. Lynne's path to becoming a writer Are you planning to read The Unknown with your book club? Check out the guides and discussion questions for book clubs here: The Unknown discussion questions and book club guide |