Posts Tagged 'technology'

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

Published January 20, 2012 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  296 p.

RAC:  Yes

“Kid” attends a futuristic high school that is actually designed by corporations using an old mall.  In this world the government can no longer fund public education and therefore corporate sponsors have taken over.  Students ideally want to win a sponsorship so that they can enjoy money, free clothes, and tech gizmos.  Kid’s not interested in earning a sponsorship because she is fine being anonymous, but her mother does struggle to pay the bills.  When Kid witnesses an unusual rebellious act she is the only person who takes notice and brings it to people’s attention.  This immediately earns her fame and she is offered a chance at a sponsorship.  Can she take it when it could mean losing her privacy and creative rights to her music?  Can she not take it when it could mean an easier life for her mother?

Fans of futuristic stories will enjoy this title.  The setup of the corporate school system seems unbelievable and yet believable at the same time.  Hopefully the story will encourage teens to think about the affect of corporations and sponsors on our everyday lives.  The story also shows how willing people can be to give up everything in order to gain fame and fortune.  The end seems a bit rushed and might confuse some readers, but overall they will enjoy it and return to find out what happens in the next installment.

Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Published October 18, 2011 RAC , Realistic Fiction Leave a Comment
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Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  327

RAC Book:  Yes

Cat is a very serious science student who wants to wow her teacher with her year-long science project.  Her teacher gathers pictures from various locations and each student blindly chooses one at the beginning of the year.  Then, they have one hour to create a project idea that relates to that picture.  Cat is not thrilled when she picks a picture of ancient hominids.  She quickly realizes this could be a unique opportunity to start living healthier and simpler.  She is overweight and addicted to caffeine, in addition to several forms of technology.  She decides that from September to March she will eat only what was available to hominids (with a few health regulated rules) and using only technology available to hominids (with the exception of technology she needs for school use only).  This includes eating nuts and berries, walking most places, and never watching T.V.  As Cat’s experiment takes off she wonders how much of our lives are affected by the lifestyle we keep.  Can Cat survive on this lifestyle until March?  What kinds of changes will she notice in herself?

This story has a unique and interesting premise.  The supporting characters are also fun and lively as they help Cat navigate through this experiment.  The side story with Cat’s former best friend is fairly predictable and takes awhile to actually resolve, but readers won’t mind waiting.  The idea of strengthening our bodies and minds with fewer chemicals, preservatives, and modern conveniences is very interesting and plays out well in the story.  Recommended for students who like like books like Meg Cabot.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Published February 9, 2010 RAC , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments
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Genre:  Realistic fiction

# of Pages:  248

RAC Book:  Yes

2010 Iowa Teen Award Winner

Eli and his family rush to a compound one night when they fear there is going to be a nuclear attack on the U.S.  Eli’s dad is a software billionaire and had the compound made with ample square footage and all of the amenities.  Unfortunately, Eli’s twin brother, Eddy, and their grandmother do not make it to the compound in time and his father shuts the door without them.  Six years later the family is having a difficult time coping with the life they have had in this compound.  There were some problems that his father did not anticipate and food is starting to run short.  Eli is not comfortable with some of the choices his family has made in order to survive, but he is most bothered by the loss of his twin and the guilt he feels about their final moments together.  Worst of all, Eli’s dad is as controlling and difficult as ever and Eli wonders if he is telling them the whole truth about their current situation.

This book was captivating from the very beginning.  There are many surprises throughout as Eli reveals his life in the compound and how they are trying to cope with such limitations.  As Eli takes a stand against their current life and tries to find some answers for how to improve it, he finds some hard and unexpected truths.  A good read for anyone, but boys and specifically reluctant readers will enjoy.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Published May 1, 2008 Fantasy , RAC Leave a Comment
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Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 12 and up

# of Pages: 417 p.

Series: Uglies, Pretties, Specials

RAC Book: Yes

In this fourth book of the Uglies series, Aya is living as an ugly after the complete reconstruction of their societies. Now that no one is forced to look the same or get brain lesions, the resources they had previously shared happily are in short supply as people want to expand their houses and towns. Now that everyone is thinking clearly they are not satisfied with what they have and continue to want more and bigger things. The community has established a system for earning merits in order for people to acquire items they want. One way they earn merits is by giving everyone a face rank and the more famous a person is the more merits he or she gets. The other way is to earn merits through schoolwork and volunteering.

Aya is desperate to be famous like her brother, so she joins a group of girls called the Sly Girls. The Sly Girls are very mysterious and no one knows anything about them, so Aya feels if she can report a story on them she will get famous. What Aya ends up uncovering is bigger than she could have ever imagined and she quickly comes to realize that fame is not what she imagined.

This fourth book answers many questions unanswered in the Specials such as what has happened to everyone now that The Specials have been relieved of their power. There are many interesting and exciting events in this book, but the final outcome of the story seemed quickly resolved and not as interesting as the previous three. This new community and its rules are not described until well into the book and students might be confused as to why fame is so important to Aya. The door was definitely left open for further books and I have no doubt that students will be eagerly awaiting them. Worth a read, but not the strongest in the series.

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