The Declaration - Gemma Malley
Cover of novel
The Declaration is a teenage fiction book about a 14-year-old girl named Anna. It is set on 11th January, 2140 - the first entry in Anna's journal. Journals are forbidden at Grange Hall - they are a sin. Anna is set to be a Valuable Asset, and if someone found out about her journal, she could be in deep trouble.
Grange Hall is a Surplus Hall. Surpluses are the children of parents who have sinned by having a child, and the children have to pay for their parents' sins in a Surplus Hall by working hard all day and night, and harsh punishments are given if you do not abide by the rules. Surpluses are taught to hate their parents, which is easily disciplined by punishments and extra hard working.
Throughout the book, a variety of activities take place. Peter, a new Pending boy, comes rapidly into Anna's life and tells her stories about the Outside. At first, Anna ignores all his stories and nasty comments about Grange Hall and Mrs Pincent, but soon later she realizes that Peter is right, and he has an idea. He and Anna are going to escape Grange Hall, escape and be free, before it's too late.
I dearly encourage all enthusiastic teenage readers to read this book - it is written with many emotions which makes it such a great novel.
