What's Most Important?

You haven't forgotten to read this month's Book of the Month selection, have you? AMONG THE HIDDEN is a small book, but packs in a lot of dystopian oomph behind those pages! We'll be discussing the title the week of the 26th, so make sure you start reading ASAP!

When I finished reading last week, one thing I marveled at was how Margaret Peterson Haddix combined all the elements of story together in an elegant, seamless way. Setting merged with characters that merged with plot. Now, I'm not going to talk about AMONG THE HIDDEN yet--I'm saving that for the week of the 26th. But it did get me thinking about the elements of story.

For a book to work, you need the following:

• Setting: physical location of story (i.e. place, time period, etc.)
• Setting: laws of the world (i.e. magic, alternative history, etc.)
• Characters: protagonist (heros of the story, what they look like, their personalities, what they believe)
• Characters: antagonist (the villain or opposing character, what they look like, etc.)
• Plot: main conflict and resolution
• Subplot: minor conflicts and resolution
• Voice: the tone, style, etc. of the narration

All of these things are essential to a story, but I've found in my own reading that some parts stick out more for me than others.

• THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO: Setting. To me, this book IS setting--the new world, and the new magics and laws of the new world, is what I remember most.
• A WRINKLE IN TIME: Protagonist characters. When I think of this book, I think of Meg and Calvin, of Mrs. Whatsit. 
• THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH: Voice. The beautiful writing style of the narration is what I reflect on most when I read this book.

Think of your absolute favorite book of all time. What one thing do you remember the most about? Is it the world, or the characters? The beautiful language or the mind-boggling plot?