Synopses & Reviews
Science-fiction superstar and multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Nancy Kress comes to YA in this brain-twisting thriller How far would you go?
The Collapse has ransacked the economy, making work almost impossible to find and forcing Amy from college hopeful to sole provider for her terminally-ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. To make ends meet, Amy auditions for a slot on a new reality TV show, which promises both a hefty salary and full medical benefits for her entire family. Somehow, she gets chosen, and she leaps to sign a contract despite her misgivings.
The show in which shell take part has an irresistible premise: audience members can win millions by predicting the behavior of each member of the cast in a crisis. But the producers are willing to do anything to maintain ratings, including using blatant setups, 24/7 surveillance, and even state-of-the-art holographic technology to simulate danger. But soon, the danger becomes all too real, and Amyon and off the cameramust fight for her life
.
Review
“Westerfield tackles the merchantry of cool like no other YA author offering a witty and provocative investigation of the surrealistic world of marketing and status.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review
Review
“Breakneck, twisty plot. The day-after-tomorrow setting, anchored by brand-name allusions and crises ripped from the headlines, adds both eerie familiarity and terrifying plausibility.”—
Kirkus Reviews
“High energy momentum that will keep the pages turning… readers really will want to find out what happens to their faves.”—Booklist
"During an economic downturn there is always a flash point, when things can either get better or become a complete disaster. Amy, a teenager during the flash point, had dreams of an academic future until the downturn hit in the worst ways. She is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and her defiant younger sister. When she is offered a steady salary, medical care for her entire family, and the chance of a lifetime on a new reality TV show, she cant turn it down. The risks for this show get more extreme and the rewards continue to grow. The line between reality and TV are starting to blur, and soon Amy is asking herself what is worth risking her life. Kress captivates the reader from start to finish by creating characters that come to life within this gripping plot. This book is hard to put down!"—LMC
"Amy, 16; her sister; and their sick grandmother are just barely making ends meet since the “Collapse.” Amy works a low-paying job to cover the rent on their rundown apartment. When she stumbles into a job interview at a television station, shes offered a spot on a new show called Who Knows People, Baby-You?-complete with a cash advance and full medical benefits for her family. In this new reality show, viewers vote on what they think the six participants from vastly different backgrounds will do in each new situation presented. The voters can win large sums of money for being good judges of human nature. But for the teens on the show, waiting for the next surprise scenario to unfold becomes extremely stressful. As interest in the show reaches a fever pitch, producers will stop at nothing to get the ratings they need, even putting the contestants in grave danger. This is a high-interest book, but the high page count will scare off reluctant readers. However, for those who get hooked, it is a real page-turner. Several of the teens on the show are true individuals, easy to remember and realistic in their responses to the scenarios. With the moral dilemmas it poses, both in interactions among the teens and on the part of the stations adults, this would be an excellent novel to prompt discussions about reality TV and ethics."-SLJ
Synopsis
Ever wonder who was the first kid to keep a wallet on a big chunky chain, or wear way-too-big pants on purpose? What about the mythical first guy who wore his baseball cap backwards? These are the Innovators, the people on the very cusp of cool. Seventeen-year-old Hunter Braque's job is finding them for the retail market. But when a big-money client disappears, Hunter must use all his cool-hunting talents to find her. Along the way he's drawn into a web of brand-name intrigue- a missing cargo of the coolest shoes he's ever seen, ads for products that don't exist, and a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism as we know it.
Synopsis
Reality TV meets a chillingly realistic version of America--and the fame game is on!
Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she's right to have them. TLN's Who Knows People, Baby--You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life--on and off camera.
Synopsis
Science-fiction superstar and multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Nancy Kress comes to YA in this brain-twisting thriller How far would you go?
The Collapse has ransacked the economy, making work almost impossible to find and forcing Amy from college hopeful to sole provider for her terminally-ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. To make ends meet, Amy auditions for a slot on a new reality TV show, which promises both a hefty salary and full medical benefits for her entire family. Somehow, she gets chosen, and she leaps to sign a contract despite her misgivings.
The show in which shell take part has an irresistible premise: audience members can win millions by predicting the behavior of each member of the cast in a crisis. But the producers are willing to do anything to maintain ratings, including using blatant setups, 24/7 surveillance, and even state-of-the-art holographic technology to simulate danger. But soon, the danger becomes all too real, and Amyon and off the cameramust fight for her life
.
About the Author
Nancy Kress is the author of twenty-nine books: seventeen science fiction novels, five fantasy novels, four short story collections, and three books on writing. She has won four Nebula awards, two Hugo awards, a John W. Campbell Award, and the Theodore Surgeon Memorial Award. Her work has been translated into nearly two dozen languages (including Klingon). In addition to writing, Nancy frequently teaches at various venues: Clarion, writing festivals and arts centers around the country, andmost recentlyas the Picador Guest Professor at the University of Leipzig in Germany. Nancy Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, SF writer Jack Skillingstead, and Cosette, the worlds most spoiled toy poodle.
Follow her blog at nancykress.blogspot.com.