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Saja
, April 11, 2012
This novel starts off slowly in a dystopian future in which technology has taken over most of the jobs. Chronic unemployment means that graduation isn't a time of celebration for the characters in the book--offering a somewhat topical connection to our own headlines of a recession of unemployment and underemployment. The characters are thrown into a world in which life is either about survival or escaping life. An invitation to the game motivates them to move their lives forward. It's a very light weight version of The Hunger Games with a hopeful ending. It also begs the question of what motivates us and inspires us in a chaotic, discouraging world. There isn't absolute brutality (as in the Hunger Games) nor fight to the death, though there are a couple of shady characters which one could infer commit crimes and do drugs--there's little else. I thought well enough of it to share it with a middle school group of readers who will be creating a game of their own.
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