Fixed

August 1, 2005
Gr 6-9 -Nellie, 12, lives in an unnamed world where she studies at Detta, training in the elaborate underground institution, darting through a lethal obstacle course, and worshipping the Goddess Ivana. She is one of Detta's top students and helps carry out terrorist attacks on the Outback populace at the behest of The Goddess (and her supervisors). She struggles to keep her mysterious dreams secret from the institution's smarmy, intrusive analyst, Dr. Wescott. Detta uses shocks and other -mind cleanse - treatments to keep the students docile, devout, and uninformed. When her twin suddenly appears in the maze, Nellie is forced to realize just how many memories have been shocked out of her system. She is slowly able to peel away the layers of lies that are her life; her strength comes from unexpected places, and her abilities, both those nurtured and those hidden, help her bring about a resolution that ends this particular story but opens the door for a third book. This is a sequel to Goobie's "Flux" (Orca, 2004), though it stands alone for the first half. Some of the later-half explanations are difficult to grasp and may work better for those who have read the previous title. The first part of the book is a little lengthy; it becomes repetitious to watch Nellie do something and then erase her memory but Goobie's world building is fascinating and faultless." -Sarah Couri, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2005
Gr. 8-11. Nellie, the intriguingly unreliable narrator of this companion to " Flux "(2004), is a model cadet at Black Core Academy, a sinister agency that frames murder and terrorism as "dedicated to an elite holy purpose." The novel's first half focuses on Nellie's "bewildering and mind-jerking life," while the second half finds " Flux"" Flux, "parallel worlds and doppelgangers have roles to play, and the difference between being "fixed" in one plane of existence and being able to pass fluidly between planes ("flux") emerges as a major theme. Adept with knife, stun gun, and martial arts, Nellie perpetrates violent acts that will take many readers aback, and a confusing conclusion dense with New Age jargon disappoints. Even so, fans of writers such as William Sleator will find that Goobie's mind-bending setup provides enough momentum to propel them to the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)