Parents' Guide to

Four: A Divergent Collection

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Short stories about Four are fun if a bit underwhelming.

Book Veronica Roth Fantasy 2014
Four: A Divergent Collection Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

jthoma
jthoma Adult
July 14, 2020
age 16+

It was OK

It was OK. Not as good as I expected. Not for kids.
rebma97
rebma97 Adult
July 25, 2015
age 12+

Really good stories

I know I'm not the only one who wanted to read Divergent from Four's POV and learn more about his past, which is why this book collection is so good. Like CSM said, most of the information is already known, but we get a peek inside of Four's thoughts and how different he may have seemed to Tris. His voice is more distinctive here than it was in Allegiant, too, which is good. Violence: Not as violent as the Divergent trilogy, but still plenty of violence. The Dauntless engage in fights and dangerous stunts. Four finds out about the planned attack on Abnegation. His instructor, Amar, fakes suicide. Four was abused by Marcus, and there is some talk about his punishments. Sex: Some kissing and making out. Four mentions wanting to touch Tris and subconsciously doing so. Language: A few instances of swearing. Drinking: Four and some other Dauntless partake in alcohol in a few instances (they're not underage )

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Divergent fans unhappy with the end of the trilogy and hoping for more of Four don't have to wait for hunky Theo James to appear in Insurgent next year. FOUR: A DIVERGENT COLLECTION compiles previously released ebooks and three new ones that Veronica Roth wrote specifically from the perspective of her beloved male lead. The Transfer details how and why introverted 16-year-old Four (then called by his birth name) selected Dauntless as his Faction on Choosing Day; The Initiate explores Four's time as a transfer initiate dealing with letting go of his Abnegation ways and ruthless Erudite transfer and rival Eric. The Son follows Four's early time as an initiate instructor and control room technician who believes there's something foul afoot between Erudite and Dauntless leadership, and The Traitor chronicles key moments from Divergent told from Four's point of view.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (20 ):

Four fans will be thrilled to read more (and overlapping!) stories from a favorite character's perspective. Especially since, even in the stories before he meets Tris, readers learn more about his background, his early Dauntless friends, and his state of mind in the two critical years before Tris joins him in the Faction and changes his life. Not much of the plot details or characterizations will be revelations to Divergent readers, but Four's voice is actually sharper here than in Allegiant, where it was sometimes easy to confuse with Tris' POV.

Ultimately, these stories are like the special features on a DVD: fun to experience but slightly unnecessary to the overall appreciation of the work (in this case, the Divergent trilogy). Four's appeal is partially due to his quiet strength, his mysterious background, and his ability to show his vulnerable side to Tris. Roth added his point of view in Allegiant, so there's nothing particularly novel about his voice in these stories. Still, it's fun to revisit secondary characters (Uriah's older brother Zeke, Shauna, and Tori are especially well represented), even if you know what will happen to them. And, of course, it's especially lovely to see some moments from Divergent retold from Four's point of view, because it shows how Tris didn't always know what he was thinking or feeling about her.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the increasing popularity of companion novellas and short stories in young adult series. Do you think these are fun to read or unnecessary if you've read the original books?

  • Do you need to read Divergent to understand what's going on in these stories? If you haven't read Divergent, do these short stories make you interested in the trilogy?

  • Is violence in books different from that in other media, such as movies or television shows? How did the violence in the short stories compare with the violence in the other books?

Book Details

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