Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Bibliographic Information:

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Copyright: 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 9780062310637

Format: Print Prose Book

Genre: Fantasy/ Dystopian

Awards:

Buxtehuder Bulle (2015), South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult (2017), California Young Readers Medal for Young Adult (2017) Lincoln Award 2017

Reading/Interest Level: Grade 7+

Plot Summary:

Mare Barrow is a pick pocket in order to support her family because there are no jobs left in the Silts. When she turns 18 she will be placed into the military. This is the life as a Red, someone with red blood. Reds get the dirty jobs, the rough lives, and serve the Silvers who dominate with supernatural abilities. But Mare is different. A Red only in color of blood not in ability. As she is thrown in to the life of Royalty she must navigate the perils of her identity while also aiding the Scarlet Guard who are fighting for equity. Balancing her new and old life amidst the relationships she's forming may prove to be beyond

her.

Author Background:

Victoria Aveyard grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. She attended the University of Southern California where she obtained her BFA in Writing for Film & Television. Other than the Red Queen Series Aveyard also has written the New York Times best selling series Realm Breaker.

Critical Evaluation:

I believe that this work is an incredible intersection between popular book tropes and styles and important message during a relevant political landscape. While this book was written ten years ago, the idea of politically enforced inequity is especially relevant for today. I found that this story was easy to pick up and become immersed in without being weighed down by too much world building. This is an excellent introduction to young adult work for readers in between middle grade and YA. Red Queen merges the gap of Fantasy and Dystopia enticing all readers with its romantic plot. While I found that this book predictable it was a both calming yet empowering to read. This book paves the way for young readers to learn to question the status quo, to fight for a cause, and especially to acknowledge injustice and inequity around them. I especially loved the complexity of the romantic interests. The voice of the protagonist is strong yet familiar to the age demographic of readers. I have been attempting to break the stigma of gendered reading and I think this book is a perfect example of a work that has been put in the "girl book" box that needs to be read by everyone!

Creative Use for Library Program:

I featured Red Queen as our Book Club Book. I split the book into 4 parts and provided reading prompts for each section.

Other ways that I incorporated this work into the library were by sharing a Spotify playlist curated to capture the vibes of Red Queen made by Mary the Merry.

I shared an online quiz and proopsed students to Design their Queenstrial look based on their Red Queen supernatural ability.They can either take this quiz to determine their power or decide for themselves.  Once they have decided their power, design a look based on their power that they would wear during Queenstrial. Be as creative as possible.

I added the game Coup to our game collection-Learn to play Coup in the Library with your friends taking out characters and maneuvering for position in the Kingdom just like Mare and the Red Guard. Lastly I asked students to pa

Red/Silver Painting- When Mare goes to Whitefire she is paraded around the Silver city. At one point she ends up in an art gallery where she sees art depicting the inequity of red lives as seen from the silver perspective. One thing that is so interesting about the art is that it shows the injustice through the use of only two colors; Red and Silver. Paint or Draw a picture that depicts injustice in your world. Use Red or Silver as your two colors or two colors that speak to the injustice you witness and are highlighting. Upload your painting to the google classroom or turn it in to the library.

Speed Round Book Talk:

Mare Barrow has red blood. To the silvers being a red means you are nothing. But Mare is determined to change that, especially since she is anything but nothing. She sparks rebellion red as the dawn!

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:

This book has been banned in Escambia County, Florida. Some readers may find the violence in this book too mature for some. In addition, the discussion for rebellion in todays climate may also pose more potential challenges. While I do believe that violence is a topic that requires maturity to comprehend, however the violence featured in written material is not equivalent to the violence featured in visual media. I think that the reason why this book is best for upper middle grade and beyond is because the themes are complex. This novel describes violence for the sake of the people, while we all may wish it, peaceful protesting does not always have the effect of rebellion. Finally this is a work of fiction this work does not instigate violence but change and awareness. Change is necessary and awareness only adds to young peoples ability to interact in the world around them.

Reason for Inclusion:

As of the time of writing this post, this novel is 10 years old. I understand that Red Queen is not fresh in the landscape of young adult literature, however as I develop my book club I am attempting to familiarize my community of young readers with what I deem as an essential introduction to the literary scene of popularity. This work has a large following, continues in its relevance, and prickles the civic minds of young readers. I enjoyed using this book in my book club because I am able to recommend so many books who have taken either inspiration form this book or are its compatriots. Like I mentioned earlier I am trying to break the stigma of gendered reading this book is perfect. Boys can read about strong girls too!

References:

Aveyard, V. (n.d.). About. Accessed March 2025 from https://victoriaaveyard.com/about/

Goodreads. (n.d.). Red Queen. Accessed March 2025 from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328546-red-queen

Mary the Merry. (n.d.). Red Queen series. Spotify. [Playlist]. Accessed March 2025 from https://open.spotify.com/playlist/24JoeF3aPCEMdhftefrcmZ?si=gGfDPpCzQsiHDxOlL61tTg&nd=1&dlsi=e8d3463636cc4059

Tolin, L. (January 2024). More than 1,600 books banned in Escambia County, Florida. Pen America. https://pen.org/escambia-county-florida-banned-books-list/

@deeleysmile. (September 2018). Hello second day of my 3 days challenge Red Queen fanarts. This time main character Mare Barrow little lightning girl, red and silver. Hope you like it love Tags👇🏻. [Post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BoOqa-TDCaI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link