SYNOPSIS:
It is 2035. Teens, armed only with their ideals, must wage war on the power elite.
Dahlia is a Low Gater: a sheep in a storm, struggling to survive completely on her own. The Gaters live in closed safe communities, protected from the Sturmers, mercenary thugs. And the C-8, a consortium of giant companies, control global access to finance, media, food, water, and energy resources—and they are only getting bigger and even more cutthroat. Dahlia, a computer whiz, joins forces with an ex-rocker, an ex-con, a chess prodigy, an ex-athlete, and a soldier wannabe. Their goal: to sabotage the C-8. But how will Sayeed, warlord and terrorist, fit into the equation?
WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?
“Giant multinationals control the world’s major resources, engineering positive economic growth by exploiting worldwide social inequity.” Dystopians are everywhere these days, but we’re so ready for this one. Especially with Dominican computer whiz and Bronx native Dahlia Grillo at the helm. Her group of activists are set to struggle not only for change but in finding purpose and learning to trust in a world gone global.
While the characters of color on this cover aren’t in full color, seven teenagers’ faces are still prominently displayed. We also see a wide spread of cultures among the ragtag band of rebels. The YA publishing world needs more books and publishers ready to listen to their audience by featuring teens of color on their covers, like this one.
Earlier this summer, the YA world mourned the sudden passing of Newbery Honored author Walter Dean Myers. His novels often showcase the gritty reality of growing up through what YALSA described as the “universality of the teenage experience in urban America”. Among his more than 100 books for youths, you may have read MONSTER, SHOOTER, and his Vietnam Era young adult novel FALLEN ANGELS. Walter Dean Myers was married for over 40 years, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. You can learn more about Walter online at www.WalterDeanMyers.net!
EARLY REVIEWS SAY…
Myers’ first posthumous release brings a narrative that fully embraces the richness of global cultures to the too-pale, too-monocultural dystopian market… Readers are left to question what actions are possible, what actions are needed and what actions are right in a world where inaction is an impossibility. A clarion call from a beloved, much-missed master. (Kirkus Reviews)
Dahlia, a self-taught math and computer whiz from the Bronx, is a relatable, understandably conflicted narrator trying to make sense of a world that is out of control. … [F]ans of Myers’s long and esteemed career will find something new here… (VOYA )
NECESSARY DETAILS
YA Dystopian
Hardcover & ebook, 256 pages
Published on September 23rd 2014 by Crown Books for Young Readers (ISBN 0385387539)
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385387538
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