Charisma

March 16, 2015
Aislyn Hollings is gorgeous and brilliant, but she's also burdened by intense anxieties that leave her barely able to function in social settings. Then a genetic scientist offers Aislyn an untested gene therapy called Charisma. The effects are immediate: despite a few headaches, a newly outgoing Aislyn is soon dating her longtime crush and attending parties, to the shock of everyone who knows her. As Aislyn learns she wasn't Charisma's only recipient, her side effects grow more severe, people start to die, and news gets out that a renowned geneticist was experimenting on vulnerable teens. Ryan (Nerve) offers a cautionary tale about the perils of designer genetics and what happens when scientists' aspirations get ahead of ethics. Her take on the topic is fresh and intriguing, and Aislyn's struggles to overcome her social anxieties and adjust to her newfound popularity drive the first half of the novel. Midway through, the story pivots, shifting into thriller territory as Aislyn and her friend Shane try to navigate the media and stay alive long enough to find a cure. Ages 12âup. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

December 15, 2014
A shy girl grabs an opportunity to change her personality with an illegal genetic transformation.Aislyn can barely manage to speak in public, she's so shy. She can't bring herself even to let Jack, her secret heartthrob, know she likes him. Her shyness cripples her life. When she loses a scholarship she should have won because she cannot make a simple presentation, she despairs. She's good at science and works with a brilliant scientist at a laboratory researching genetic modifications to treat diseases, such as the cystic fibrosis her brother, Sammy, has. When Dr. Sternfield offers her Charisma, an experimental gene modification meant to boost confidence, Aislyn agrees. The treatment works. Aislyn begins a real relationship with Jack and finds herself interacting with others easily, even boldly. However, she soon realizes that she isn't the only person who has taken the secret treatment, which uses a virus to carry the modified genes. When others become sick and fall into comas, and some die, the scandal hits the news-and Dr. Sternfield goes missing. Meanwhile, Aislyn's mother, fearing gene therapy, keeps Sammy out of a promising gene treatment for cystic fibrosis that could save the boy's life. Ryan presents a portrait of a public response to an epidemic that is especially resonant given recent panics. Suspense balances with discussions of bioethics for a provocative and entertaining read. A sympathetic protagonist combines with intriguing medical possibility for a solid thriller. (Science fiction. 12-18)

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January 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Aislyn is cripplingly shy: she's very smart and could have won the state science fair with her research on gene therapies, if only she'd been able to bring herself to talk to the judges about it. She'd love to talk to people and advocate for gene therapies as a treatment for various illnesses, like her brother's cystic fibrosis, but she freezes up and can't get words out. So when a researcher offers her a chance to overcome her social anxieties with an experimental gene therapy, Aislyn jumps at the chance. Her new gregarious self isn't afraid to talk to the boy she's been crushing on, or go to parties, or be a normal teenager. But some other teens have been given the treatment, too, and have collapsed. Then the symptoms start appearing in people who haven't had the therapy. Charisma may not be the answer Aislyn was hoping for. Not a far step from Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill (Hyperion, 2004), this novel features more current, realistic medical technology. The science is explained well enough for non-scientist readers to understand, and gives teens much to think about regarding medical ethics and experimentation. Aislyn's relationship with her boyfriend is chaste by necessity (so she doesn't spread the virus), but there are some mild suggestions of more mature desires. An adequate choice for medium to larger collections.-Brandy Danner, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2015
Grades 8-11 Aislyn would like to be able to present her research at the science fair, advocate for gene therapy for her younger brother who has cystic fibrosis, and speak to her crush, but she suffers from painful, crippling shyness. So when a scientist at the gene therapy lab where Aislyn interns offers her a shot of an untested new drug called Charisma, she jumps at the chance. Her life changes overnight: suddenly she radiates confidence and gets the guy. But some other teens have taken the drug, and some of them get fatally sick. Then people who didn't take the drug start coming down with similar symptoms, the doctor who administered the drug disappears, and a race for a reversal of Charisma is on. Though Aislyn's carpe diem attitude in the face of almost certain death is a little unbelievable, this fast-paced and edgy novel has enough thrills, romance, and family drama to please a wide audience. This Robin Cooklike thriller zips along at breakneck speed to a satisfying conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)