Cinder

• Genre: Fiction; young adult dystopian/science fiction
• Originally Published: 2012
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 790L; grades 7-10
• Structure/Length: 38 chapters; approx. 448 pages; approx. 10 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Loosely based on the fairy tale Cinderella, this first book of The Lunar Chronicles follows teen cyborg Cinder, a skilled mechanic, as she investigates her own mysterious past to save others from intergalactic conflict.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death; plague; violence

Marissa Meyer, Author

• Bio: Born in 1984 in Tacoma, Washington; loved writing fanfiction in her teens; earned degrees in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and in Publishing from Pace University; worked in editing and proofreading before becoming a full-time writer; lives near Tacoma with husband and adopted twin daughters; hosts The Happy Writer Podcast
• Other Works: Scarlet (second in The Lunar Chronicles series; 2013); Heartless (2016); Renegades (2018)
• Awards: ALA’s Teen’s Top Ten (2012); ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults (2013)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Social Hierarchy: Humans, Cyborgs, and Androids
• Sacrifice
• Concealing One’s Identity
• Fear of Disease
• Interclass Relationships
• Technology

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of androids and cyborgs and their use in dystopian science fiction to understand Cinder’s world and its meaning more fully.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen understanding regarding themes of Social Hierarchy: Humans, Cyborgs, and Androids; Sacrifice; Concealing One’s Identity; Fear of Disease; and Technology.