Reckoning

Gr 7 Up—In the far-off future of England, Silver Blackthorn is ready for her Reckoning, the annual event in which 16 year olds are assigned their lifelong role in society. Silver should be happy. She is assigned the role of Offering to the king, the most honorific assignment. What does the role entail? No one knows because it is kept a secret from year to year. Wilkinson creates a haunting and all-too-believable backstory in which England has forged a new existence in the wake of a nuclear war. This England is a surreal mix of high tech and the medieval. Technology is advanced but used only so the king and his men can monitor the people and their thoughts, purchases, and locations. The monarch keeps the people docile by instilling fear, paranoia, and strict control over food and heat distribution. When Silver arrives at the palace with the other Offerings, she discovers that the term "offering" is literal. One by one, the teens succumb to the king's capricious, sadistic cruelty. Silver resolves to escape. Her skill with electronics will get her only so far and she must forge an uneasy alliance with a few of the other Offerings. She discovers that escape involves more than just exiting the king's palace—it involves taking down the entire government infrastructure. False starts, red herrings, and narrow escapes keep the pace moving briskly and the resolution a big question mark right until the end. In a crowded market of apocalypic YA fiction, this title stands out.—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC