The Famoux

Gr 8 Up–Lingering radiation in Emilee Laurence’s postapocalyptic home of Eldae has caused mutations in the populace—for instance, all the children born in the same year have eyes that are the same color. But Emilee was born with her mother’s unusual light blue eyes instead. Emilee is devastated when her mother disappears, leaving the family in shambles. To survive the bullying and the difficult two years since, she turns to the Famoux, a group of the world’s top celebrities who star in their own reality TV series. After a fight with her sister, Emilee flees home straight into a seemingly chance encounter with the Famoux’s manager. Suddenly, Emilee’s life, face, and even body are transformed. Catapulted into fame as the newest member, “Emeray Essence” barely has time to meet the rest of the Famoux before she discovers the deadly game controlling all of them—a game that took the life of the cast member “Emeray” replaced. While this is not the most original dystopian novel—it owes much to its predecessors, including The Hunger Games and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies—the story draws readers in with an ever-expanding mystery and a healthy dose of fantasy wish fulfillment. The convoluted lives of the Famoux celebrities are tangled up in a life and death struggle that adds thrilling stakes to the teen soap opera. Only Emilee’s eyes and brown hair are described, and the Famoux have various skin tones.