Representation: Biracial main character
Trigger warnings: Death of a teenager

6/10, well where do I even begin with this? The entire book was just one slow moving train wreck and I did not enjoy any aspect of this novel. The main character, Max was one of those morally grey protagonists but I still did not like reading about him in this book because he really wasn't that fleshed out and he used a slur once and did some perverted thing I don't remember. The dystopian world building wasn't well thought out either because I don't know how the dystopia came into being but I do remember it was due to climate change or overpopulation or something like that and why develop a vaccine to turn every student into essentially an obedient robot but I think that's the entire point of the story however it wasn't really that intriguing. The side characters were mildly interesting but they didn't help the story like Dallas who was just Max's friend and Ally who just took care of animals and was a loudmouth. The ending was by far the worst part of the book because escaping the dystopian town called New Middletown was so easy since he just went with his parents and sister all the way to Canada and that's it, it fizzles out. It's such a shame that the book ended like this and I would have liked it more if it ended on a high note but it didn't. If you like dystopian novels try 1984 by George Orwell instead of this book. ( )

A great read although it takes awhile to get hooked, but the slow build up is so important to the story. Things could be this way in the future so it is interesting to think about. A satisfying ending after a suspenseful read. I would say this book is YA Mature although it has no sex, just language, some innuendo, physical fighting, and ideas that the future could be scary. Parallels to today in some ways. If there is a sequel I would read it. ( )

I received this as an ARC through librarything from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Right off the bat, this reminded me of a modern, more plausible, and frankly, more up to date version of [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433092908s/5129.jpg|3204877]. I didn't realize, upon requesting it, that it was intended to be for young readers, the back of the book labels it for ages 12 , but I really didn't mind too much. To be perfectly honest, I think it's great and, were I a middle school teacher, I would push to have this replace [a:Aldous Huxley|3487|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1387374697p2/3487.jpg]'s novel in the curriculum.

For starters, the characters themselves are more relateable. Everybody knows a Max, a Dallas, an Ally, or even a Tyler. The personalities of these characters, as well as their actions, are much more within reach than John's are. Yes, everyone can relate to being an outsider at some point, but we all know, for the most part, how to act within our own society. We aren't stuck between two worlds in the same way John was and neither are the characters in Austen's novel.

I think it's nice to see that their society is portrayed as a bit dystopian from the start. There's no fancy technology and medications thrown in your face showing that everything is perfect. There's abundant technology that people of all ages are obsessed with (much like people today are obsessed with their cell phones), don' get me wrong, but there are also reality TV shows with people who have been deformed by a lifetime of exposure to hazardous materials from a spill near their town. There are people who live on the outer edges of society, living in cars outside the city walls. There are people who waste away the ends of their lives, drugged to complacency and stuck in nursing homes. The threat of plague-level disease is nearly constant. Hope is merely a mantra that gets them through the day.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to people, regardless of age. It's excellent and completely believable. I hope that it does end up replacing Huxley's novel in schools. It's a modern view of the same idea and portrayed in such a relateable manner. ( )

ALL GOOD CHILDREN by Catherine Austen is set in a dystopia future where children are turned into passive, obedient followers.

When Max discovers that youth are being drugged, he and his friend Dallas decide to escape the system and venture beyond the borders of their tranquil community.

Librarians will find an audience for this work of science fiction among teens who enjoy dystopian fiction. Although the story will remind adults of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the themes will engage today's youth.

Published by Orca. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )

For being a book geared toward the young adult readers I thought this was a good book. It had the feel of the movie , Disturbing Behavior featuring Katie Holmes and James Marsden. I liked the references that the author put in the book with Body Snatchers and the Stepford Wives both being metaphors. The younger readers may not get this reference or even be familiar with the movies but for the older adult readers like me who are into reading young adult books, I got it and liked it.

I was glad that Max was so defiant in his quest to figure out what was happening to all of the students. It made me really stand up and cheer for him. While the idea is scary and I could actually see it happening in today's society, I wanted there to be a stronger voice as the bad guy(s). Yet I understood the mildness of the story as it was geared to a certain reading audience. This is a quick read. I am intrigued by this author and plan to check out more books by the author. ( )