Sunday, October 16, 2011

All Good Children - Catherine Austen

Publisher:  Orca Books
Pages:  312
Source:  I won a copy from LibraryThin
Genre:  Young Adult, dystopian

Product Description from Amazon:
It's the middle of the twenty-first century and the elite children of New Middletown are lined up to receive a treatment that turns them into obedient, well-mannered citizens. Maxwell Connors, a seventeen-year-old prankster, misfit and graffiti artist, observes the changes with growing concern, especially when his younger sister, Ally, is targeted. Max and his best friend, Dallas, escape the treatment, but must pretend to be "zombies" while they watch their freedoms and hopes decay. When Max's family decides to take Dallas with them into the unknown world beyond New Middletown's borders, Max's creativity becomes an unexpected bonus rather than a liability.
My thoughts:
In the town of New Middletown things aren't what they seem.  Th children have undergone "The New Education Support Treatment".  Now the kids are obedient.  If I can say this, they are too obedient".  My husband laughed when I told him I had a few students that could use a little bit of the treatment..  Max comes across as quite rebellious at times.  I was reminded (due to my advanced age) of the movie "The Stepford Wives".  If you are too young to remember this movie then I would suggest you look it up.  In this book there is never any doubt how much Max loves his family and the length he will go to just to protect them.  When his mom is threatened with the removal of her kids, major decisions must be made.  It was scar to see the parallel between the government control on schools, education, and families in the book and that of our very own society today.

I would recommend this book to all dystopian lovers.  I think this could hold its own in a competition with some of the most popular dystopian novels today.

1 comment:

  1. that book sounds good after i finish reading Veiled rose then i will read that book it sounds like i will never put it down and im on my 15 book Autumn Gerbig

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