The Memory Key

Gr 7 Up—Lora Mint's mother died in a car accident five years ago, and the pain of losing her hasn't diminished. Worse, Lora's memories of her are fading, even though she has a Memory Key, because the Keys aren't meant to preserve memories perfectly, just mimic the brain's ability to remember. Her mom was a top scientist at Keep Corp, the morally questionable company that developed Memory Keys to combat the widespread Alzheimer's-like Vergets Disease. After Lora's key begins malfunctioning, she suddenly has crystal-clear memories of her mother—memories that make the teen wonder whether the accident actually ended her mom's life. Now she must sort through her past to discover her mother's true fate, before Keep Corp fixes her Memory Key and takes away her perfect recall forever. Liu has crafted a relatively mild story with elements of mystery, corporate and government conspiracy, romance, and friendship. The narrative moves along at a quick enough pace that even reluctant readers will stay engaged. Lora is a mostly likable protagonist, though her emotional reactions sometimes feel out of step, and her BFF Wendy adds comic relief and a voice of reason. While plot points tend to work out a little too conveniently and the message about the importance of privacy borders on preachy, readers will be itching to reach the conclusion. Give this one to teens looking for suspense sprinkled with a little dystopia, lacking violence or mature content.—Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI