They Came For Utopia by Christopher Francis

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Source: I received a copy from StoryOrigin. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This series has come a long way. We start the series with aliens invading the earth. The main character, Sheldon Hickory is infected and must fight to remain human.  Jump ahead to this final book and we have another infected person called the Queen. She is taking people like Sheldon and those who are pure humans and trying to infect them to follow her rules alone.  We have gone from a setting of a normal earth at the beginning of the series, to a world ravaged by war and destruction. Area 32 is trying to rebuild life on earth, underground. They are hoping they will one day be able to live above ground. In this book Sheldon is married with a baby on the way.  His humanity is grounded in that relationship.

We take a journey with him and his colleagues as they look for carbon for the air filters in Area 32. From there the tension and danger just keeps going up.  You read a bit and wonder who will survive and how. Then you have that temporary relief only to find the danger more intense.  It pulls you along and a quick pace.  This is another book I read in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down.

Once again  we have themes of survival, family, forgiveness, cherishing life.  The story leaves the reader feeling that whether in that world or our own, we can count on the good in humanity to provide us with hope.  I have loved all of this author's books.  I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.  Who knows, maybe one day we will see this series in the movies. I would definitely buy tickets.

 

The Return by Laurie Stevens

 

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I loved this book for so many personal reasons and connections. The author has created a future world that is pretty much run by AI.  From the minute a child is born they are implanted with a device that links them to DAPHNE, the AI that runs the country. One day the impossible happens. DAPHNE is hacked. World War breaks out and to save everyone, DAPHNE and the other AIs around the world shut themselves completely off. Imagine a world where every decision is made for you by an AI. Things like whether you should get mental health for your child, or take someone to the doctor.  When this very scenario happens one person is able to find the help they need. Aiden, hates the way this technology has taken over everyone’s life.  He enjoys spending time outside with nature. He is constantly in trouble at school and at home because he questions everything.

He borrows physical books from Chris, a man who is called a grid-skipper.  Think of homeless people living in one area receiving a stipend from the government because they refuse to have a device implanted into their head.  Most of these people were in high paying tech positions who lost their job when they refused the implant. These are the very people who must teach the others how to survive when their world goes silent.  As I read I kept telling my husband that we would be in that group who could survive off the land. My husband is a beekeeper and we have recently gotten it using bees wax and other products from the bees to make other items.  I do a lot of work with fabric and yarns and recently started using plants to dye them.  The author of this book did so much research because there is so much info within the book.  As a teacher I give my students a scenario to write about every year. It is a survival scenario. I am so surprised how many of them just give up, not because they don’t want to write. They give up because they said they feel there is no hope.

This book has something for everyone. I am hoping there will be a sequel to this one. I want to know so much more.  I would love to spend a day discussing her research techniques and other writerly things with her. This is an author I definitely need to keep an eye on.

 

Student Saturday: Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
Student Reviewer: Levi M.

I read a book called Dog Driven. It is about a fourteen-year-old girl named McKenna who is trying to win a competition to earn a job. The job everyone is trying to get is delivering mail in a dog sled. So Mckenna and her little sister are trying to win the race to get a job. But the only problem is McKenna's sister is battling an eye disease, so it is hard for her to see, and McKenna must raise/train a bunch of dogs, so they are ready for the race. 

            McKenna and her sister were so nervous about the race because they had to travel 113 miles in horrible weather and had to beat 50 other teams in this race. McKenna's team is good and strong so they should not have a problem coming close to winning. Halfway through the race McKenna was passing everyone and she was so far ahead. The weather was starting to get intense the snow is getting thicker and taller. At this point, the dogs are having an extremely challenging time getting through the snow. About 20 minutes later someone came on the loudspeakers and said everyone had to return to a safe location because there was a huge blizzard rolling in. So McKenna and her team hid under a huge cliff. Do you think they survived and won the race? 

 I recommend this book to someone who likes a book that is entertaining and if you like dogs. One of the reasons I liked this book is because I love dogs, and this was an interesting book.