The following openings from Divergent by Veronica Roth and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell give the reader a lot of information in a few short lines. Think back to the features of a good opening and decide whether these openings include any of these features.
Divergent
There is one mirror in my house. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair.
Fangirl There was a boy in her room.
Cath looked up at the number painted on the door, then down at the room assignment in her hand.
Pound hall, 913.
Understand
1. What do you learn about the narrator in the fi rst extract? 2. Where does the second extract take place?
Explore
1. Why do you think the author began Fangirl with the short statement ‘There was a boy in her room’?
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2. Which world would you prefer to live in, the one described in Divergent or the one in Fangirl? Explain your choice.
3. What kind of challenges do you imagine that the narrators in each of the extracts face?
Create
Work with a partner to design a book cover for either Divergent or Fangirl based only on these openings. Decide on an image to use and explain your choice.
