Control

Gr 8 Up—Control is another in a long line of dystopian novels. In Kang's world set in 2150, humans with strange mutations are created and then cast out of society but survive in secret. Zelia; her sister, Dyl; and their father are on the move again. After a horrific accident in which their father is killed, the sisters find themselves at New Horizons where Micah promises them that everything will be okay. The next morning Dyl is abducted, and Zelia meets her foster mother, Marka. It seems that Marka was a friend of Zelia's dad and has a safe house for children born with aberrations. Zelia doesn't know whether to trust Marka or Micah, but she desperately wants to find her sister and get her back. At Marka's house, Zelia meets an odd assortment of kids with various deformities but also extraordinary gifts. One of her new housemates, Cy, eventually becomes a love interest. The story is extremely confusing because the technologies that allow the characters to do extraordinary things are not logical and some are rooted in advanced medical techniques that seem preposterous. Far better choices are Veronica Roth's Divergent and Lauren Oliver's Delirium (both HarperCollins, 2011). Kang's novel is so far from reality and so convoluted that it is hard to accept.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA