Shattered

Gr 7 Up—While this exciting final book in the "Slated" trilogy starts off with more questions than answers, the ending provides some satisfying resolutions to both character development and the mysteries that infuse the previous installments. Kyla (aka Lucy, aka Rain), is on the run after a terrorist (or freedom-fighter) attack on her life. She's changed her look and her name again (now she wants to be known as Riley) as she makes her way back to her mother, the same woman who ended up in the hands of antigovernment activists. Riley thinks she'll finally get some answers. A trip to her childhood home helps recover more of the memories that had been Slated away. Riley starts asking more questions about her birth, how she ended up in dangerous company, and why she was placed in the home of a high-ranking government official after Slating. The story is gripping and suspenseful, and the final revelations are a bit deus ex machina but rewarding nonetheless. Readers who have enjoyed the first two installments will not be disappointed by the dramatic conclusion.—Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City