A timely novel about truth and deception in our digital lives by the award winning author of Boy 87 which was a huge hit with young adult readers.

Imagine a world where your only friends are virtual, and big tech companies control access to food, healthcare and leisure. This is Jess’s world but when she turns fourteen, Jess can go to school with other children for the first time. Most of them hate the ‘real’ world, but Jess begins to question whether the digital world is ‘perfect’ after all. Back home, her sister Chloe’s life-saving medication is getting ever more expensive. Determined to help, Jess risks everything by using skills forbidden in the cyber-world, only to stumble on something explosive. Something that will turn her whole world upside down. It’s up to Jess to figure out exactly what is real, and what is fake – Chloe’s survival depends on it.

A compelling tale of a futuristic world beyond the recent pandemic where everyone fears falling ill because of immunity to antibiotics. Children must be kept safe and use live learning, only rarely meeting other children. It is a world of algorithms and powerful pharmaceutical companies. Ele counterbalances all the digital tech by having the children meet new classmates and potential friends in a traditional boarding school setting beloved of generations of readers. A strength of her writing is the well observed characters as we watch the seeds of friendship grow and develop and Jess learn to discern where to place her trust. For once, I think the novel would have benefitted from being longer, as the last section feels rushed. It ends with a genuinely thought provoking message in the last page which kept me awake reflecting; we would do well to take heed and learn.

A futuristic novel with a scarily plausible scenario which might just help us all to increase our awareness of the dangers lurking when we place our next online order!

(review by Nicola)