Rebel

May 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-The cliff-hanger ending of Reboot (HarperCollins, 2013) almost guaranteed that readers would be treated to a continuation of the story of Wren 178 and Callum 22. In the first book, readers discovered that a horrific virus known as KDH caused some people to rise from the dead-but only those who are young and strong. They are known as Reboots, and they have been trained and used by HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation) as soldiers against a devastated civilian population in the name of national security. As this book opens, several Reboots, led by Wren and Callum, have escaped their HARC enclosure in search of free Reboots, reported to be hiding in the north, in the hopes of joining them and successfully overthrowing HARC. Unfortunately, they are unaware that their mission will take them into even greater danger at the hands of those who should have been their allies. Action-packed scenes, graphic violence, and a developing love story between the lead characters in a postapocalyptic world will appeal to teens who appreciate the genre made popular by Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
A breakneck follow-up to Reboot (2013) delves deep into its characters. Wren 178 has successfully led a group of Reboots to freedom after breaking them out of the facility where they were imprisoned and forced to act as soldiers carrying out the bidding of the humans in charge. The numbers associated with Reboots' names represent the minutes they spent dead before rebooting--reanimation as more physically sound versions of themselves, a side effect for some of a rampant virus that has plagued humanity in this near-future world. This second novel smartly delves into questions of ethical responsibility, placing Wren in the middle of situations in which others look to her for leadership even as she longs to escape the burden and forcing her to choose whether or not to challenge the radical notions of the leader of the refugee camp in which they've sheltered. She's a tough, immensely likable narrator--a task newly shared with her love interest, Callum 22, this time around. Their alternating narration works just fine, but it somewhat lessens the sharpness of her voice. At the same time, readers who are thrilling to their developing romance may well like the insight into Callum's thoughts. Action-packed and intelligent, this science-fiction thriller offers a refreshingly hopeful conclusion. (Dystopian adventure. 14-18)

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May 15, 2014
Grades 8-11 Wren and Callum have escaped from HARC, which uses children risen from the deadaka reboots to police a postapocalyptic Texas. But the Reboot Reservation is a place of secrets, and they must choose between freedom and fighting for the lives of both reboots and humans. This is the rare sequel, after Reboot (2013), that is better than the original, as Wren's emotionlessness and Callum's pacifism occasionally put them at odds, despite their feelings for each other. The dual narration lets readers into the characters' heads, while plenty of action keeps the story moving, and a solid ending ties up most loose ends.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)