by Caragh M. O'Brien
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
September 2014
This young adult near-future science fiction novel has a great plot: Some of the best art students from around the nation come to study at the prestigious school, The Forge. And they are living that dream, while living in a reality show. To survive and keep their prestigious enrollment, the students have to keep their viewer ratings high in order to stay at the school. Of course, the protagonist Rosie is a non-conformist and can't follow the rules -- which leads to an interesting plot line.
What's different about this book
Although set some thirty or forty years in the future, the world Rosie lives in could be our near future -- except for some technologies and scientific/medical capabilities that don't yet exist. The reader who doesn't usually like science fiction will be able to feel comfortable in this milieu. The themes are enduring, of course, but with a nice contemporary (and beyond) twist. The relationships develop realistically among the characters, but the pressure and suspense just keep on growing -- and the author doesn't provide any easy solutions. Which causes the main objection I have for this book: a strongly unsatisfying denouement and an ending not warranted by the author's construction of the story. The narrative didn't prepare me for what felt like an "oh, well" conclusion.
What I'll do now that I've read the book
The book is an engaging and enjoyable enough read that I will promote this for my high school libraries. I think it will catch some reluctant readers, as well as more mature consumers of science fiction. But I won't have my heart in the recommendations when I book talk to students -- somehow the crafting of the book just didn't come to a natural full circle for me.
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