Limit

andlt;Iandgt;An eighth grade girl was taken today . . . andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Mattand#8217;s family over their limitand#8212;and to change his reality forever.

Kristen Landon's The Limit brings the popular dystopian thriller genre to a middle grade audience.

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .
With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt's family over their limit--and to change his reality forever.

In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next.

In a world eerily similar to our own, the government imposes debt limits on families. Exceed the limit, and the family’s oldest child will be taken away to a special workhouse. Thirteen-year-old Matt doesn’t think he has anything to worry about. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. But after Matt’s family unexpectedly surpasses their limit, Matt’s whisked away to a workhouse where far more serious dangers exist than anyone on the outside realizes. Highly relevant to modern financial challenges and sure to captivate readers, The Limit is a fast-paced thriller that never lets up.

Kristen Landon lives with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Limit is her first middle-grade novel.