Bubble World

spinnypeeps - Freesia's life is perfect. She lives on the beautiful island of Agalinas, surrounded by crystal- clear waters, perfect weather, fancy dress shops, and peacocks who sing her favorite song in the morning to wake her up. She has so many outfits she could wear a different one each day for a year and not run out. It's everything she could possibly want, and it seems almost too good to be true. Lately things on Agalinas have been a bit floppy: sudden blackouts, days that seem to repeat itself, students disappearing, and even Freesia's reflection looking slightly... off. But in Freesia's opinion, it's better not to pay attention to things like that. Unfortunately for her, these are more than just random glitches in the universe. In 'Bubble World' by Carol Snow, Freesia's perfect bubble is about to pop.

May 15, 2013
Freesia lives on a seemingly magical island where every whim is answered in this nifty sci-fi comedy. On her island world, Freesia needs only to place an order in her portable bubble device to get her perpetually smiling mother to serve her breakfast, to choose from the hundreds of outfits she owns, or to communicate with friends and watch her enemies. She orders her teachers around, never bothering to study any subject. Foreign-language classes focus on food instead of the language, which is never taught. Everyone on the island, including Freesia, looks beautiful and goes to parties every night. Yet glitches occur as the program generating this virtual world begins to crash, sending Freesia back to reality, where her parents and sister appear to see her only as annoying. Thrown into her local high school, Freesia does no work and can't connect with her former best friend. Finally, she tries to return to the virtual world, but this time, she knows it's only a computer program. With constantly clever comic writing, Snow disguises her serious examination of the dangers involved in immersion in fantasy and living by whim. Freesia uses an aggressively vapid, too-hip vocabulary, in which something really good is "de-vicious" and a kiss is a "face link," to heighten the fun. Freesia's plenty spunky, and so is this hilarious book. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-Although Bubble World seems like the perfect place for a teenage girl to find true happiness, the virtual-reality environment has its faults. As cracks in the cyber design start to show and Freesia begins to learn more about this seemingly flawless paradise, she must grapple with issues of reality versus perfection. Should she live in a place where everything is delightfully "de-vicious" or face the tough but beautiful experience of real life? Themes of privacy, beauty, free speech, and education are explored in a subtle, effective way. The quick pacing will propel readers forward, and a few nicely placed plot twists will keep them satisfied. Readers who enjoyed Libba Bray's Beauty Queens (Scholastic, 2011) will relish Snow's sarcastic wit, and fans of Neal Shusterman's "Unwind Dystology" series (S & S) will recognize an alternate world in which parents have exclusive rights over the lives of their children. Teens will enjoy following Freesia in this humorous sci-fi novel.-Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 Freesia lives a carefree, candy-colored life in Avalon, where she is awoken every day by a pair of pop-song-singing peacocks. She clothes her perfect body in the latest fashions selected from her gigantic closet and takes classes like Foundations in Foundationwhen she is not shopping and partying, that is. Sound too good to be true? You are right; actually, she has spent the last three years in a bubble pod attending virtual reality school, and her existence is shockingly less glamorous than she thought. Snow (Snap, 2009) nestles a powerful message about bravery, self-confidence, and integrity in the midst of fluffy, irreverent talk of fashion and teen idols and a virtual world at the crossroads of The Matrix and Barbie's Dreamhouse.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)