Swipe – Evan Angler

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson

Pages:  288

Source: Review copy from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review

Genre:  Middle Grade, Dystopian

Book Description

Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?

Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.

The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.

My Thoughts

I loved this book.  I am purchasing it for my school bookshelves.  I think this will appeal to people of all ages.  As an adult I can see our society headed this way.   I can only imagine the fear Logan felt when his sister didn’t return from her trip to get the Mark.  I was concerned in the beginning of the book that he was just being paranoid that he was being watched and followed.

Erin’s move to Spokie made me wonder why her mother did not come with them.  Her father can stop a question from anyone; just by telling them he works for the government.  Any government that is this secretive and deceptive can’t be that great. 

This book did have something unique that stuck with me.  In the beginning of the book Evan’s house was describe.  Most of the houses are vertical.  This means there is one room per floor.  I thought this would seem very strange as a living situation.  You couldn’t just walk across the hall to your sister’s room.  You would need to go up or down a floor to see them.

This book has enough suspense to hopefully hold the reader until the second book comes out in September.  It is called Sneak, and will hopefully answer many questions that are left unanswered. 
I am grateful to Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze program for allowing me to read and review this book.  It is one I will promote to my students next year.