Alexandra Bracken is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Darkest Minds series and Passenger series. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study history and English at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. After working in publishing for several years, Alex now writes full time and can be found hard at work on her next novel in a charming little apartment that's perpetually overflowing with books. Visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com and on Twitter @alexbracken.
A mysterious disease has killed most of America's children, and
those few who survived have developed stunning new powers,
including telekinesis and mind control. Suddenly terrified of its
own children, the government rounds up the young survivors,
confining them in camps where they are strictly monitored and
controlled. Sixteen-year-old Ruby, imprisoned since her tenth
birthday, has been keeping secret the true extent of her
mind-control powers. Rescued by the Children's League, she quickly
realizes that the League has plans of its own for her future and
escapes her rescuers, joining up instead with a ragtag group of
fellow fugitives led by would-be hero Liam. On the run from
government agents, bounty hunters, League members, and even other
runaways, Ruby and her companions search for the Slip Kid, the
leader of an underground safe house for kids. The Slip Kid turns
out also to have an agenda, and Ruby is faced with deciding how
much she will sacrifice for her future and her freedom.
Heart-wrenching but completely riveting, the novel pulls no
punches, creating a bleak world where the best that children can
hope is to escape those who would imprison or manipulate them is
the best that children can hope for. Resisting the urge to
overexplain, Bracken carefully employs hints and flashbacks to
reveal essential background information, and the gradual revelation
of the story's many secrets ratchets up the anxiety. The resolute
harshness, though, is tempered by genuine emotional connections
between the survivors and playful banter between friends; a
blossoming romance emerges between Ruby and Liam but never
overshadows Ruby's personal emotional journey. Fans of the darker
elements of Collins' The Hunger Games (BCCB 11/08) and Shusterman's
Unwind (BCCB 2/08) will want to pick up this inventive new take on
the science fiction survival story. AM BCCB"
Gr 9 Up In this dystopian future, most preadolescents and
adolescents are dead, brought down by a new disease, Idiopathic
Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration. Ruby Daly and other survivors
from her town are taken to Camp Thurmond by the Psi Special Forces
to be tested, categorized, and, according to the PR,
"rehabilitated." There is no rehabilitation, though, in the
concentration camps for young people with special powers, just
drudgery and punishment. Ruby hides a secret from the PSF she is
not a Green, but an Orange, someone who can affect other people's
minds. Members of the Children's League help her to escape but she
is soon on the run from them as well when she learns that they
intend to use her to commit violence. She joins the small band of
Liam and Chubs, who are telekinetics, or Blues, and Zu, who is a
Yellow, a person who can control electricity and machinery.
Together the four seek East River, a sanctuary whose leader, the
Slip Kid, can supposedly get messages to their parents. Before they
can find the camp, they have to evade PSF soldiers, bounty hunters,
and the Children's League, as well as solve the riddle of its
location. While this story is full of action, it is also given
depth by the difficult choices that Ruby faces. There are some
fairly disturbing events and images (torture, rape, blood
splattering, etc.). This book is a natural for dystopia fans but
romance readers will also enjoy the blooming love between Ruby and
Liam. Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
SLJ"
Imagine a not-too-distant future in which 98 percent of America's
10- to 17-year-olds have fallen victim to disease, and the
remaining 2 percent are imprisoned in "rehabilitation camps,"
thanks to a paranoid government that fears the powers they possess.
In this haunting novel, 16-year-old Ruby joins up with a small
group of fellow camp escapees in search of the Slip Kid, a
near-mythical figure who promises shelter and protection for kids
on the run. Ruby is hoping for even more-someone to help her
understand and control the tremendous power she possesses. Bracken
(Brightly Woven, 2010) creates a gripping and terrifying dystopian
world. Ruby is a reluctant heroine, strong yet vulnerable in equal
measure, who will endear herself to readers. Each member of the
small band of runaways traveling with Ruby is equally compelling
and distinct, making the danger they face all the more terrifying.
If readers can force aside nagging questions about the origins of
these empowered teens and any implied connection between their
powers and the illness claiming their peers, they are in for a
great ride. Be prepared-the darkest minds do indeed "hide behind
the most unlikely faces." (Dystopian thriller. 14 & up) Kirkus"
In the not-so-distant future, most of America's children have died;
but those who live find that they have psychic abilities that range
from moving objects to getting inside people's minds.
Sixteen-year-old Ruby, using her powers as an Orange, has escaped
the survivor facility she has lived in for six years. She has also
used her abilities to make the doctors believe she is a more docile
Green. Now Ruby intends to keep her secret, even from new friends,
including handsome Liam, persnickety Chubs, and the mute but sweet,
young Zu. This ragged band searches the Virginia countryside in
hopes of finding the Slip Kid, who seems to have outsmarted the
government. Instead they find trouble on almost every turn of the
page, but eventually discover what seems to be a youth utopia.
Bracken is skilled at ramping up the action, but there is so much
going on here, it's hard to keep it all straight. Still, the
character development is good, and the book's ability to tackle
larger issues is solid. In the end, Ruby must make an important
decision. Then it's on to book two. - Ilene Cooper Booklist"
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