The Never Weres

Gr 8 Up—Years into the next century, the human population is dwindling because of a virus that has resulted in no new births for a generation. Cloning may stave off extinction, but rumors of botched experiments, along with bias against clones, make it an uncertain option. The youngest humans left are teenagers, and three of them struggle to solve a mystery of a missing girl who may save the world. A perfect read-alike for Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion (S & S, 2002) and Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (S & S, 2004), this comic has chaotic landscapes that resemble those in the film Blade Runner, replete with strange futuristic fashions and ads for 50-dollar bags of rice. Many pages are crammed with these interesting details, set in adventurous layouts that often spill outside of the panels. The illustrations, drawn in a bold, primitive, indie-comic style that resembles Lynda Barry's work, contrast interestingly with the tech-heavy story. Though this science fiction mystery's plot and layouts are a little too convoluted, its provocative ending is rewarding.—Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY