Slated

November 26, 2012
Memory loss and near-future dystopia have been popular YA themes of late, and while debut author Terry’s dystopia is not always convincing—absent a large-scale catastrophe, it’s hard to believe society is going to give up its gadgetry—her treatment of medically induced amnesia is intriguing. Kyla Davis, who knows that’s not her real name, is 16 and emerging from nine months in the hospital after being “Slated,” or having her memory erased. She is preoccupied with observing and drawing her surroundings, studying them for clues to her old identity. This, readers are told, is unusual, though every “Slater” described in the book differs from the supposed “blank-brained” norm. One is Amy, Kyla’s black adoptive sister; another is Ben, a kind classmate with a knack for discovering information. There is little by way of conventional plot; the focus is on Kyla’s unfolding awareness and gradual piecing together of the puzzle that is her past. Intriguing, yes, but also frustrating—at the end of this book (a sequel arrives next year in the U.K.), there’s much left to happen in the plot. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caroline Sheldon, Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency.

December 15, 2012
What would it be like to live in a world in which the fear of terrorists has resulted in the technology to wipe out memories or shut you down completely if you become deeply sad or angry? Kyla's memory has been wiped clean, and she's starting life with a new family. It's 2054, and since the '20s, the United Kingdom has lived with the Lorders, the Law and Order movement. Slating, as it's called, is a technique whose use is limited to people under the age of 17. Kyla is the second Slated child in her family; her new sister Amy is now a cheerful, happy person. Gradually, Kyla realizes that she is unique in that while she has no memories of the time before she awoke, she is able to think more clearly and has a different reaction to stress than Slated people should. Another Slated boy becomes her confidant as she delves deeper into the mystery of who she is. Terry's world is remarkably like today's, with some changes; computers and Internet use are totally state-controlled, for instance. Not all details stand up to scrutiny, but the romance and politics keep suspense ratcheted up. With no real resolution, it's clear that more of Kyla's story is to come. Intriguing--readers will be on tenterhooks for the next one. (Dystopian romance. 11 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2013

Gr 7-9-In 2050 London, young criminals are "Slated"-their brains wiped clean of all memories. They relearn how to walk and talk in a hospital rather than a prison. Though Kyla is 16, her new family (Mum, Dad, Slated older sister Amy) will teach her that stoves are hot and traffic is dangerous. Kyla's Levo, a permanent wristband, will monitor her moods, beeping if she gets distressed and, in the worst-case scenario, disabling, and even killing her if she turns violent. Those who favored law and order thought this would solve the problem of gang violence and terrorist attacks. Kyla avoids the Slater Haters on the bus, goes to school, attends group meetings, and makes friends with fellow Slaters Ben and Jazz. Then her nightmares return, bits and pieces of a past life begin to surface, and calming mechanisms like eating chocolate or going for a run fail to bring her levels up to normal. Though the Central Coalition shows only happy news, and the militaristic Lorders maintain control, Kyla learns of a darker side of society. She comes to question the true uses of Slating and how people are chosen to undergo the procedure. Terry's debut novel treads familiar dystopian paths of controlling government, rebellious teens, and romance in a community where strong emotions are deemed unsuitable and dangerous. Slated has some lovely turns of phrase, a plot that speeds by, and a cliff-hanger ending. The terrain may not be new, but this book will attract many readers.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 Sixteen-year-old Kyla has been slated, her personality and memory wiped clean by the government; all she knows is that she was a criminal given one last chance in society. Set in a near-future Britain where anyone under the age of 16 is slated rather than incarcerated, Terry's debut is a suspenseful page-turner with a highly sympathetic and strong female protagonist. A perverse sense of claustrophobic dread grows throughout the novel, aided by the disconcerting presence of lorders, who are both protection and threat, and levos, devices embedded in slateds' wrists that are the equivalent of internal bombs. Kyla forms a deep attachment to Ben, a slated boy, and together they become determined to discover if the people being slated are really criminals or if they were taken by the government for another reason. If so, why? A clear need to tie up all the dangling ends left by a rather abrupt ending will have readers waiting eagerly for a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)