The only things certain in life are death, taxes...and surprise endings.

Oh my, people are very angry with the ending to the Divergent trilogy.  In fact, the readers who enjoyed Allegiant seem to be few and far between. What is it that has precipitated this reaction? Is it the shifting first person narration between Tris and Tobias?  It was a little difficult to track the multiple story lines while hopping from one point of view to the other.  Could it be the sad surprise at the end when a popular character makes a terrible sacrifice?  If you read the first two books of the trilogy, you should have been prepared for some pain.  The dystopian setting requires the characters to overcome their fears, sometimes at great personal cost.  There is death, destruction, sacrifice and difficult decisions facing each individual character in all three books.
A dystopia is the opposite of a utopia.  None of the challenges and choices should come as a shock to the reader.  In the Hunger Games trilogy, children kill other children to survive "a game" while people manipulate events to force them to fight.  For many of the people in the society, this is a form of entertainment.  The characters in the Maze Runner trilogy are manipulated multiple times and treated like expendable science experiments.  They are never given the full truth about their society and why they are being forced into horrendous circumstances.  They persevere through many trials in order to seek the truth and a possibility of survival.  In The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking trilogy), the main characters are desperate teens who must struggle against evil adults and a broken society.  The author throws in a curve ball with the setting which is on a distant planet where the men's thoughts can be heard by the women which has greatly complicated relationships between the sexes.  Due to these circumstances, the planet that the original settlers thought would be their utopia has morphed into an awful dystopia. There too, the main characters are faced with many difficult choices and sacrifices.
Along with the twisted, repressive, controlling societies these characters must navigate, they are also struggling against themselves and their flawed natures. Just as in life, poor decisions will be made and bad things will result from them.  This is not the first time in teen fiction that something happened to a character causing readers to rebel.  The point is, you're talking about it. Unlike Marie Lu's Legend trilogy, teen books do not always have a happy ending. Most of the ones mentioned here contain a hopeful ending. Happy endings are not guaranteed....unless you're reading a romance.

Andy the Library Squirrel and the Technology Tantrum

Sometimes a thoughtful gift really isn't a gift at all.  In fact, there are times when a gift may become a burden. The intention behind the present is usually noble.  Often it entails thoughts of making a loved one's reading experience more varied and pleasant.  The advertisement for the item promises that it is incredibly easy to use and that any necessary tech support will be available at all times.  Gentle, thoughtful, Buyer, please beware.  If the person receiving the gift does not regularly use modern technology, there are going to be issues. If the "giftee" does not understand how to use their gift, it is no gift at all.

Above you see Andy, Manitowoc Public Library's beloved Library Squirrel. The kindly ladies in the Children's Department taught him to read a long time ago. Andy began visiting us as a young squirrel when he attended Story Time with his mother.  His little eyes were barely open but the library became a refuge for him from his rowdy siblings (who were all banned due to their excessive chewing of library materials).  It was mutual love at first sight. (Baby squirrels are adorable.)

If you've seen Andy on our Facebook page, you know that he loves to help others.  He has spent time working on our Automated Materials Handler.  He has donated books to our yearly book drive, The Best Gift Ever.  (He still treasures his copy of Harold and the Purple Crayon that he received from us as a young kit.)  Andy is also an avid reader.

Unfortunately for Andy, the kind intentions of a generous benefactor have gone awry this holiday season. Someone thought that he would like to store his books on an eReader.  The thought was that Andy would be able to read at night, while the library was closed.  Andy would no longer get lost in the fiction stacks looking for his next favorite read. Andy would no longer have to wait for his holds to become available. He could just download the book and read to his little heart's content. They didn't realize that Andy enjoys browsing through the book shelves and he doesn't mind waiting for a book.  He's got plenty of material to enjoy while he waits.  

Sadly, Andy is having a difficult time with technology because his little paws just don't work well with touch screens.  He can read and munch nuts when we set the eReader up for him but squirrels are very active creatures. Although the device seems light to us, poor Andy cannot hold onto it nor can he carry it very far. It also doesn't fit in his nest.  We've tried to explain the concept of wireless technology to him several times and in return, he scolds us and demands that we figure out how to get the book he wants onto his device. Add onto that frustration the concept of having a holds list on electronic copies and you will understand why Andy has not been himself lately.

Fortunately, we have talked Andy down out of his tree.  We will all be helping him get used to his new device.  He is now receiving book and technology counseling.  This counseling is similar to the "I'm OK, You're OK" mantra.  It is acceptable to prefer books to eReaders.  It is natural to enjoy having access to many books on one device.  You can enjoy both things.  If Andy sounds like someone know, someone who may have received a gift they want to use but aren't sure how to use, send them to the library.  Don't let their gift drive them nuts like Andy!