XVI

November 8, 2010
Gender politics and sexual awareness play prominent roles in Karr's thought-provoking dystopian debut, set in a totalitarian future where world peace came at the cost of certain civil liberties and personal freedoms. At 16, every girl gets a XVI tattoo to signify her status as a sexually legal adult, along with a chance to join the Female Liaison Specialists (FeLS), often the only hope "low-tier" girls have of escaping poverty. Despite mounting peer pressure, Nina refuses to buy into the "sex-teen" mindset thrust on her and her friends since they were young. After her mother is murdered, Nina embarks on a hunt for the father she never knew, even as her mother's creepy boyfriend stalks her for unknown reasons. Nina may possess a key to shattering the corrupt government and the secret behind FeLS, but must decipher it before tragedy strikes again. An unusual blend of futuristic thriller and pro-abstinence advocacy, Karr's story has much to say about the increasing sexualization of teenagers. The balance between plot and preaching can be wobbly, but overall, it's a solid, enjoyable story. Ages 14–up.

December 15, 2010
In Nina's world, children have GPS trackers until they turn 18, and surveillance satellites monitor for subversive talk. Tight control stands between young women and a threatening sexuality; at 16, teenage girls get tattooed with their age and become fair game. Fifteen-year-old Nina, unlike her friends, dreads becoming "sex-teen." Her life is too confusing without extra complications: Her mother's just died, and Nina's half sister Dee might be legally claimed by her father to be a servant—or worse. How does the cute boy who might be a member of the resistance fit into Nina's life? And had Nina's mother been part of the resistance herself? Nina doesn't want to get involved, but she needs to protect Dee. A large suspension of disbelief is required for the dysfunctional gender politics. (How did the situation get so broken? How do teenage boys and girls manage to be friends when they're only weeks or months away from effectively legal rape?) Otherwise, a fun little thriller for the abstinence romantics. (Science fiction. 12-14) 

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-In the Orwellian world of the 22nd century, turning 16 or "sex-teen" marks a girl's entrance into adulthood and freedom, literally, with an "XVI" tattoo on her wrist. Nina Oberon, 15, dreads coming of age because it also marks a lack of safety in a world where men can basically have their way with women without consequences. Nina's concerns are compounded when her mother is attacked and mortally wounded; on her death bed she tells Nina that the father she thought was dead is actually alive and that she must find him and deliver her little sister's baby book containing coded messages to him. Now living with her grandparents, Nina juggles her new life of old and new friends; a budding romance; finding her maybe alive, maybe underground radical father; and keeping her mother's powerful and abusive lover away from her family and the book. Karr manages to tackle big topics of the darker side of sex, media influence, government control, and women's equality. Teens will enjoy the romantic melodrama, and fans of dystopian novels will be drawn to the plot. While the future universe that Karr creates is imaginative, the writing often falls short, and the characters are one-dimensional. However, the strengths of this book and its quick pacing will likely pull readers through its flaws. With an ending that hints at a sequel, newer fans of dystopian fiction might want to read M.T. Anderson Feed (Candlewick, 2002) or Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" trilogy (S &S/Pulse) while they wait for its arrival.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 In 2150 Chicago, girls are walking billboards. Upon turning 16, they receive government-issued tattoos on their wrists that read XVI. Theyre supposed to keep the girls safe, but in reality, the tattoos broadcast their brand-new sexual availability. As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Nina is increasingly disturbed by her best friends obsession with becoming the ideal sex-teen and entering the Female Liaison Specialist (FeLs) service, the only option for women from the lower tiers to move up the social ladder. Meanwhile, Nina works hard to uncover the mystery her dead mother left behind, a secret that could end the entire FeLs program. In her unsettling debut, Karr depicts a sex-obsessed future where women are the perpetual victims of predatory marketing, and other societal ills seen in our presentfamilies trapped in the welfare system, pharmaceutical companies in bed with health-care providers and the mediahave been taken to terrifying ends. At times the message goes overboard, but theres no doubt this well-written, accessible sci-fi thriller will provoke discussion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

December 15, 2010
In Nina's world, children have GPS trackers until they turn 18, and surveillance satellites monitor for subversive talk. Tight control stands between young women and a threatening sexuality; at 16, teenage girls get tattooed with their age and become fair game. Fifteen-year-old Nina, unlike her friends, dreads becoming "sex-teen." Her life is too confusing without extra complications: Her mother's just died, and Nina's half sister Dee might be legally claimed by her father to be a servant--or worse. How does the cute boy who might be a member of the resistance fit into Nina's life? And had Nina's mother been part of the resistance herself? Nina doesn't want to get involved, but she needs to protect Dee. A large suspension of disbelief is required for the dysfunctional gender politics. (How did the situation get so broken? How do teenage boys and girls manage to be friends when they're only weeks or months away from effectively legal rape?) Otherwise, a fun little thriller for the abstinence romantics. (Science fiction. 12-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)