YA Review: Scored by Lauren Mclaughlin

Scored by Lauren McLaughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My ACT score was in the 20's.
Nobody cares about that anymore.

My GPA has always been "above average"
No one wants to hear about it.

My life has been carefully controlled by grades, scores, ratings and rank since before I was even aware of it, all under the premise that if I scored well enough, the finances that I didn't have wouldn't matter.  That without these scores, I was doomed to only achieve the levels my money would allow.  The rich children would have better opportunities, but the well-scored could always level the field through merit-based scholarship.

Recently, I've begun to monitor my Klout score.  Klout is an algorithim calculations based website that monitors your social media influence.  Higher scores reflect the amount of people on the web that value what you talk about and share.  Companies use these scores to pinpoint the best people to help market their products.  For instance, a high klout score with an emphasis on Cars, may get you a free week-long test drive from a car company.

On the surface these things sound AWESOME.  No more is it about "who you know", or "what you have", but it's about YOU.  Who you are.  What you do.  Fair and impartial, technology does the work that humans have failed at.

That said, let me just start this review by admitting that the most chilling thing that hit me almost immediately, was that Imani, our main character's "score" in this book is 64...

My Klout "score" is 64.

We're ALREADY scoring and charting and tagging ourselves into a fresh new caste system.  One where everyone is "better" because no one is.

Oh my gosh where do I even begin.

It's Here (and everywhere else): The Hunger Games Official Trailer

Yes, please.

YA Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

You know how there's those books that everyone LOVES, and you feel as though you most certainly have to try them out and take part in the collective euphoria?  Your heart palpitates when you are finally able to check it out from your local library, and you get goosebumps as you start the first chapter...then somewhere during the fourth or fifth, you realize that you aren't having nearly as much fun as everyone else claimed to have had?
This was my experience with Uglies.

I really wanted to jump all over this book.  According to every must-read YA list, Scott Westerfeld's Ugly series was one to leave you chomping at the bit for more.  While I do agree that the storyline is captivating and extremely frightening, I have to admit that I'm not exactly salivating to complete the series. But that being said, it was worth the read.

Uglies takes place some time in the future, after our current generations, referred to as Rusties by our descendants, are extinct.  The powers that be of the future have decided that most of our societal ills are a result of our differences. To avoid having their civilization meet the same hate-filled fate as ours, they decide that all people at age 16 must undergo mandatory plastic surgery and become Pretty by modifying skin tones, facial and body features, even hair. With everyone looking the same, and life becoming a party, who has time to start wars and conflicts?

YA Review: Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M. T. 2002. Feed.Candlewick, 234p. c2002. $16.99.  978-0-763-61726-4

In the futuristic world where Titus lives, normal adolescents willingly succumb to purchasing suggestions from their Feeds, ignore the lesions appearing on people everywhere, and are oblivious to the reputation their country has developed with the rest of the world for its hedonistic ways. While lunar-vacationing, Titus, his friends, and fellow club-goer Violet are traumatized when the feeds implanted into their brains are a hacked into. Titus and his friends seek to block the unpleasantness from memory, but Titus soon learns that for Violet, who has been home-schooled and sheltered from the life his friends all share, the act of forgetting is not easily accomplished.  As her life slowly unravels from the effects of her feed malfunctioning, Titus begins reexamining his feelings about his world, his friends, and his actions, while experiencing the trials of teenage love and loss.

In this gripping tongue-in-cheek depiction of where society could be headed, Anderson exposes consumerism and superficiality with humor and chilling realism. Anderson does an excellent job of creating believable teens and situations without the characters feeling forced or fake.  Interested teens will love the audiobook because of the dynamic feature of being able to hear the feeds performed by full cast.  The story is crafted perfectly to reach the intended audience, who will surely enjoy the glimpse into future fads and slang.  This book will appeal to teens who do not fit on either side of the fence, but are willing to explore both. A cautionary tale with a fresh voice.

Mrs.Tiye's Thoughts: Well-Written, Thoughtful, Engaging characters, AMAzING AUDIOBOOK, Great plot.

And check out this awesome FEED Display !