Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Inside Out

by Maria V.Snyder

Maria V. Snyder takes on whole new worlds...

By	Reading It All

This review is from: Inside Out (Harlequin Teen) (Paperback)

With Inside Out (Harlequin Teen) Maria V.Snyder breaks out herself...from a long line of well received paranormal fantasy to a stark, adventure packed futuristic series that begins with the people of Inside looking for a better world Outside.

The bland, monotone introduction to the life of the Scrubs in the Lowers draws you into the life of Trella, who has never fit in with her surroundings. Trella seeks refuge from the burgeoning masses iof Scrubs, in the Pipes and Ducts that lead from the world of the Lowers to the envied lives of privilege in the world of the Uppers.

Soon the tone livens when one day everything changes - her one friend in the world Cogon (whose nickname Cog speaks volumes about his role among the Scrubs) introduces her to a man who talks of something better in Outside - and for the first time Trella knows "hope". A wild ride filled with adventure, betrayal and romance ensues.

From the fresh yet stark cover to the promise of a new world Inside, Snyder left me eager to read the follow up - Outside In!

It has been said before but I have to say it again - if you followed Maria V. Snyder through her Study series and are currently into her Glass series, do not read this expecting more of the same. Her writing style pulls you willingly into this new world filled with warnings about believing everything your hear, hope, trust, romance, acceptance, family, connection...and the endearing tale of Sheepy!

The Clone Codes - The McKissacks

The Clone Codes

By Patricia, Frederick and John McKissack

Be sure you learn history's lesson...the first time!, January 3, 2010

By	Reading It All (Orange County, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is about history repeating itself (again) in the worst way. Early in the history of the United States, a race of black people was brought from Africa to serve as slave labor - without basic rights that admitted that they were human. Their lives were ruled by the very restrictive "Black Rules".

Now, in the year 2170, another injustice is being repeated. Science has advanced to create viable clones but the ruling government, and the corporation that makes them, calls them "Second Cell" non-humans and uses them as slave labor. They are ruled by the "Clone Codes" - almost word for word as the same restrictive "Black Rules".

Human rights supporters work quietly to make life better for clones and cyborgs. Cyborgs are people who have been so badly injured that implants are all that save them. They are call 3/5ths people and excluded from many opportunities and activities.

Now the battle begins to get human rights for clones and others who are discriminated against. There are a lot of lessons learned about differences and acceptance as the world moves toward space travel and the mysteries of the universe.

The McKissak's collaborated with their son for The Clone Codes...this is a great accompaniment for an American History course. Told in a way that kids will enjoy reading it!

Product Description from Amazon

The Cyborg Wars are over and Earth has peacefully prospered for more than one hundred years. Yet sometimes history must repeat itself until humanity learns from its mistakes. In the year 2170, despite technological and political advances, cyborgs and clones are treated no better than slaves, and an underground abolitionist movement is fighting for freedom. Thirteen-year-old Leanna's entire life is thrown into chaos when The World Federation of Nations discovers her mom is part of the radical Liberty Bell Movement.

After her mother's arrest for treason, Leanna must escape as she is chased by a ruthless bounty hunter. Soon Leanna finds herself living among the Firsts, and nothing will ever be the same again. But what does The World Federation want with the daughter of a traitor? So much is uncertain. Danger hides everywhere. Fear takes over. With help from unlikely sources, Leanna learns the origin of The Liberty Bell Movement and how its members may have answers about her past-and her new reality.

As family secrets are revealed, Leanna must face startling truths about self-identity and freedom. Through time travel, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence, this exhilarating adventure asks what it means to be human and explores the sacrifices an entire society will make to find out.

Acclaimed authors Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack have collaborated with their son, John to deliver a novel that is as suspenseful as it is searing.

Waiting for the sequel....

The Midnight Charter

Agora is a city state surrounded by a circle of unclimbable walls; divided into the twelve signs of the zodiac, each section with its own set of goals, people and cultural quirks, all ruled by the Director, all influenced by astrological predictions, with the Midnight Charter hanging a dire prophecy over it.

This is a society corrupted by materialism and built on the idea that everyone, everything, has a value, everything can be bought and sold...NOTHING is free!

Two of the young children, meet, form a strange friendship and grow into totally different young citizens. Dreams and desires, good luck and ill fortune, friends and enemies all come together to weave a well written story that holds all the tension of a good fable.

Product Description

In a society based on trade, where everything can be bought and sold, the future rests on the secrets of a single document-and the lives of two children whose destiny it is to discover its secrets. In this spellbinding novel, newcomer David Whitley has imagined a nation at a crossroads: misshaped by materialism and facing a choice about its future. He has brought to life two children who will test the nation's values-and crafted a spellbinding adventure story that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.