MILA 2.0

xxpish - Mila is not a normal teenage girl, but she thinks she is. She is really an android, made by the military, with artificial intelligence. Her mom stole her from the military compound so she could have a normal life and implanted false memories into her. But when Mila finds out she’s an android, her whole world turns upside down. Their enemies invade their home, and they are forced to run away-far away, to Germany-but they get caught at the airport. In a thrilling sci-fi adventure of survival, Mila is on the run from the military with no one but her mom, leaving her friends in Clearwater along with her boyfriend Hunter, whom she longs to see. This suspenseful debut will keep readers on the edge of their seat, even after the last page. What I thought about it: Ok, let me say this: DEBRA DRIZA, YOU ARE AMAZING! Mila 2.0 is definitely one of my absolute fave books. The cover and the blurb alone had me sold, but the book just had so much suspense and action, that it is a must read. the storyline is wonderful, with so many unexpected plot twists and turns. I love all the android stuff; it’s just so cool to think of someone being replicated perfectly by the military, created stronger than a normal person with accuracy, awesome reflexes, built-in GPS; I mean, how cool is that? This book will leave fans of science fiction and thrillers begging for more. Debra Driza gives this series a kickstart and puts everything she has into her debut.

March 25, 2013
Mila believes she's an average 16-year-old girl who has moved to a new town following the death of her father. An accident reveals that Mila is actually an androidâspecifically, a super-covert robot spy developed by a shadowy government projectâand her "mother" is a scientist who stole her from the lab to save her from being destroyed after Mila developed human emotions. Hunted by both the government and an organization seeking to sell her tech to the highest bidder, Mila and her mother flee, and Mila will have to embrace both her abilities and her humanity to survive. Driza's debut is likely to hit the sweet spot for YA fansâit's SF set in the modern world with just enough romance, angst, and action to balance the improbably amazing technology. Many plot elements are laid out in this trilogy opener, but character development is skimpy. Cinematic and overly dramatic ("Why? Why even steal me in the first place if you were never really going to let me live?" Mila whispers), it's not surprising that Driza's novel is already in development as a TV series. Ages 13âup. Agent: Taylor Martindale, Full Circle Literary.

February 15, 2013
A fast-paced sci-fi adventure complete with artificial intelligence, military intrigue, secret societies and a hint of romance. Mila is shocked to learn--by falling out of a truck and discovering wires and high-tech gadgetry where blood and bones should be--that she is not a teenage girl, but a military weapon. Her mother is actually one of the scientists who created her; she then spirited her away when it was decided that Mila should be scrapped in favor of a newer model, as her too-genuine emotions proved an unacceptable vulnerability. When Mila and her mom are caught, Mila must face a series of tests to save her mother and herself from elimination. To survive, she'll have to figure out how to make the most of her military hardware and training as well as her human emotions. While it definitely raises interesting questions about identity and memory, this offering depends much more on the fast-paced plot to keep readers engaged. It eschews for the most part the deep philosophical musings on what it means to be human that elevate otherwise similar titles such as Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2009), for example, beyond thrills. With likable characters and nonstop action, this one will please readers who prefer adventure to ethical exploration. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2013

Gr 7 Up-Thirty days ago, Mila's mother moved them to the quiet Clearwater, Minnesota, to make a new start after the tragic death of her husband. Despite her grief, Mila is doing her best to find a place for herself, but it's hard to move on when she can't remember details of her past-including the fire that killed her father. When she injures her arm in an accident, she discovers a network of wires and tubes beneath her skin that hints at a history more incredible than she could have ever imagined. Mila doesn't remember her previous life because she doesn't have a past: she was created in a top-secret laboratory for the government. Now she and her mother are running for their lives and nothing makes sense-all she has are questions. Who is her mother? Did her father ever actually exist? Why was she created? And who is chasing her? In this cross between Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity (Richard Marek, 1980) and Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Holt, 2008), Mila's identity crisis and the resulting questions about what it means to be human could be the start of an interesting discussion. And while this first book in a planned trilogy is nearly 500 pages long, the action-packed plot will quickly propel even reluctant readers to the end.-Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Grades 8-12 Everything seems normal as 16-year-old Mila attends a new school in Minnesota, hangs out with her new friends, and starts to get to know another new studentHunter, a handsome, quiet surfer from California. Suddenly, though, Mila starts to get flashes of visions that send shudders down her spine: she pictures men in lab coats conducting cruel experiments in a cold room. Who are they? Why does she keep picturing these scenes? According to her mother, Mila is suffering from trauma due to her father's fiery death. But when Mila discovers that her mother may not be telling the truth, core identity issues heat up the plot. Driza's fast-paced, action-packed science fiction/thriller debut about identity, will, artificial intelligence, nature versus nurture, and man versus machine will satisfy fans of the Jason Bourne series, the Hunger Games trilogy, and Jennifer Rush's Altered (2013).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)