Publishers Weekly
05/02/2016
Twelve-year-old Mori narrates this suspenseful tale set in the not-so-distant future in Old Harmonie, a closed community founded by the Krita corporation on the outskirts of Boston. "We never stopped experimenting and innovating," says Mori of her home, "but outside they were just struggling to get by." On their 13th birthdays, children in communities like Old Harmonie learn their genetic code, discover whether they are "natural" or genetically "designed," and reveal their chosen "latency," a hidden aptitude that will then be released through surgery. When a new girl, Ilana, moves onto Firefly Lane, her presence disrupts the comfortable dynamics among Mori and her best friends, Julia, Theo, and Benji, who find something "just a little off" about Ilana, despite her easygoing manner. After their group coalesces into "The Firefly Five," the children's gradual realization of Ilana's true nature leads to shocking and painful revelations about their community, their parents, and themselves. In this gripping novel, Blakemore (The Friendship Riddle) creates a disturbingly ordered world in which questions about friendship and family offer courageous and heartwarming testaments to the human spirit. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (May)
From the Publisher
"In this gripping novel, Blakemore (The Friendship Riddle) creates a disturbingly ordered world in which questions about friendship and family offer courageous and heartwarming testaments to the human spirit." - Publishers Weekly
"This creepy, memorable novel is a welcome addition to the relative few utopian/ dystopian books for pre-YA readers . . . An ending that will have readers eagerly anticipating the next installment." - BCCB
"The themes are strong, and the depiction of a tightly controlled world at the expense of individuality will surely fascinate fans of Lois Lowry’s The Giver . . . A very good selection for middle grade readers drawn to high-concept science fiction." - School Library Journal
"Will have children turning pages and thinking about important questions. An excellent choice for those who love Lois Lowry’s The Giver or Margaret Peterson Haddix’s sci-fi adventures." - Booklist
"Less stark than The Giver, this welcome addition to the dystopic utopia genre is a young cousin of Ally Condie's Matched and Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox." - Kirkus
"Science, history and literature references glow . . . With keen intelligence and bits of humor, the prose slips calmly between narrative perspectives, trusting readers to pick up a revelation that Ephraim and Mallory don’t see—and it’s a doozy. This one is special." - starred review, Kirkus Reviews on THE WATER CASTLE
"What shines through . . . is Blakemore’s tender understanding of how these children—and all children—feel about their lives and the adults who control them." - New York Times on THE WATER CASTLE
"It is no mystery that readers will come to love Hazel Kaplansky." - Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor-winning author of HATTIE BIG SKY, on THE SPY CATCHERS OF MAPLE HILL
"Thought provoking . . . a tribute to the great girl detectives of children’s literature." - New York Times Book Review on THE SPY CATCHERS OF MAPLE HILL
School Library Journal
04/01/2016
Gr 4–6—An earnest dystopian mystery that celebrates the power of friendship, individuality, and imperfection. In the corporate utopia of Old Harmonie, life is incredibly controlled. Citizens enjoy ready-made meals delivered to their identical houses in a futuristic suburb of Boston. Parents can modify their children's genetics, amplifying and dampening characteristics as their talents unfold. Twelve-year-old Mori has always felt safe in this world, but she relishes moments when she glimpses something truly unique. When new girl Ilana moves in across the street, Mori is instantly drawn to her refreshing sincerity. Ilana and Mori become fast friends over their love of botany, and together they plant a secret garden in the woods. Mori invites her into her circle of friends, and as a group they begin to explore forbidden areas of the town. They quickly discover Old Harmonie (and its mega conglomerate sponsor Krita) was built on a web of troubling secrets. Perhaps they aren't as safe as they thought. Frazer Blakemore offers an intricate mystery that deals with immensely complicated themes, from the painful changes in tween friendships to the ethics of genetic modification. The characters are charmingly naturalistic in this futuristic dystopia, simultaneously spouting corporate lingo and goofy jokes that modern readers will delight in. The specifics of Old Harmonie's infrastructure is labyrinthine, and occasionally pages of unrestrained exposition break the narrative flow of the mystery. Yet the themes are strong, and the depiction of a tightly controlled world at the expense of individuality will surely fascinate fans of Lois Lowry's The Giver. The ending hints at a sequel. VERDICT A very good selection for middle grade readers drawn to high-concept science fiction.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School Library, Brooklyn
Kirkus Reviews
2016-02-17
A girl realizes her suburban, corporate-run utopia has dark underpinnings. Twelve-year-old Mori lives on a quaint cul-de-sac west of Boston, in a Kritopia (a utopia sponsored by the Krita Corp.), one of several around the world. She and her friends are partly free-range—they can take off on their bikes anytime—but everyone wears a nonremovable "watchu," which tells time but also watches its wearer. At age 13, kids announce their "latency"—an inner skill that will be surgically released—and find out whether they're "natural" (made from their parents' DNA) or "designed" (made from cloned or modified DNA). Into this idyllic neighborhood comes new girl Ilana, who's gorgeous and strong but doesn't quite fit in. Ilana pauses oddly before answering questions, and unlike Mori, whose heritage is Japanese and Scottish, brown-skinned, chestnut-haired, green-eyed Ilana knows of no heritage. This society's secrets aren't gentle, but the text reveals them gently. The pacing is cautious—like Mori herself, though she vaguely remembers having been braver in the past. As Mori and the others break a huge rule, walking along abandoned train tracks toward the rough and scary city to save a friend's life, readers will eagerly await the next installment. Less stark than The Giver (1993), this welcome addition to the dystopic utopia genre is a young cousin of Ally Condie's Matched (2010) and Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008). (Science fiction. 9-12)
