Lexile = 810
An unexpected pleasure. I picked this up because it looked like Caraval. Creepy lit tent, midnight... I figured that this had some type of mystery attached to a carnival. Well, no. Instead we have space exploration and the Dust Bowl.
The year is 2065 and small groups of people are being sent to colonize Mars. To qualify, you must pass through a rigorous process that involves saying goodbye to all you have here on Earth. Because you are not coming back. Adri has passed most of the tests and is at the launch site where she is assigned to stay with a long-lost elderly aunt (or cousin?) in the weeks leading up to the launch. While there, she finds an old journal in the house chronicling the hard times surrounding the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
The story also jumps back to World War I England! And yet it all works together. I liked how Adri's future world is still connected to the world of the past. They still live in the homes from earlier times and they still have recognizable appliances and the like (although Adri complains that her Aunt doesn't have a "smart" fridge that could shop for them).
All of this historical leapfrogging is really just a background for terrific characters. Adri thinks she is alone in the world. She has nothing to lose by leaving Earth. And the long-dead journal writers have something to say to future readers.
Watch a short video of quotes from the book HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment