Gr 9 Up—According to the Government's official publication, The Book of Shhh (The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook), humans, if unregulated, are cruel, capricious, violent, miserable, and selfish. "It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled that they can be happy, generous, and good." The Government also mandates that all citizens, upon their 18th birthday, submit to an operation to control the spread of amor deliria nervosa, the disease of love. Lena, 17, eagerly awaits the day she can show off her badge of honor: a three-pointed scar behind her left ear. Then she will be paired with a boy chosen for her by the evaluators and live happy and safe forever. That is until she meets Alex, an "uncured." Lena and Alex spend her remaining 95 days together as much as possible. Lena comes to understand that the regulators are not there to protect the people, but rather to control them, and that her mother didn't commit suicide, but was thrown into the crypts because she was a resistor. With only hours left before her scheduled procedure, Lena, with Alex's love and help, decides to follow her mother's footsteps. Lauren Oliver's science fiction thriller (HarperCollins, 2011) is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat page-turner. Her writing is strong and filled with beautiful metaphors that enhance the darkness of Lena's life. Sarah Drew's narration breathes life into each character, especially Lena. She skips seamlessly between every conceivable teenage emotion: confusion, snarky sarcasm, whispered guilt, and the breathless bliss of first love. A must-have.—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

Gr 8 Up—In this gripping dystopian novel set in a future Portland, ME, everyone is safe, unhappiness can be cured, and the freedoms we take for granted have been relinquished in the name of "security" and "the common good." There is no risk and no pain, or at least there won't be for 17-year-old Lena Haloway and her outspoken friend, Hana, once they turn 18. They will then be eligible, in fact forced, to undergo the procedure that will render them impervious to delirium—the disease that was formerly known as love. You can see, of course, right where this is headed, but the ride is well worthwhile. Lena is an engaging and believable protagonist, at first compliant, then questioning, and finally desperate to save herself and the irrepressible emotions blooming within her. Her journey to understanding is both painful and exhilarating as she meets free-spirited Alex, succumbs to delirium, and wrestles with the social code she's been taught so well. Ultimately, Lena gets a shocking glimpse into the world outside the city's borders and witnesses the barbaric underpinnings of the "safe" world in which she has lived. Especially heartbreaking is her discovery of the fate of her mother, who was unable to stop loving her husband and daughters and paid a terrible price for her transgression. On the other hand, Lena's caring but numbed-out aunt and her scrupulously compliant older sister make clear the consequences of obedience to tyranny. Strong characters, a vivid portrait of the lives of teens in a repressive society, and nagging questions that can be applied to our world today make this book especially compelling and discussable.—Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA