Ones and Zeroes

February 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-In Marisa's world, the Internet is no longer a luxury; it is necessary for survival. Megacorporations use technology to rule over neighborhoods and gain wealth. Implants inside the brain, called djinnis, allow people to be connected to the Internet, and one another, 24 hours a day. This sequel to Bluescreen finds Marisa and her gaming group, the Cherry Dogs, searching for Grendel, the hacker who may hold the key to the childhood accident that cost Marisa her arm. A possibly rigged global gaming competition, a revolutionist boy trying to take down a megacorp, and an arduous rescue are just a few of the complications that the Cherry Dogs face in their quest to conquer the gaming world and save Marisa's community. The futuristic setting is scary in its entirely plausible reliance on technology. The Cherry Dogs' realistic dialogue and diverse personalities, races, and sexual orientations give most readers someone to relate to. The secondary characters are also well-developed, with backstories that move the narrative forward without superfluous distractions, and Wells creates easily understood descriptions of technology. References to current celebrities and what they could be doing in the future add an element of humor to the tale.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Do you matter? Are you a one or a zero?In 2050 in the LA neighborhood of Mirador, 17-year-old Latina Marisa Carneseca's family is about to lose their restaurant. In series opener Bluescreen (2016), Mari and her multiethnic VR team Cherry Dogs saved the city from the titular mind-controlling e-drug virus, but there was no money or public glory in that. Mari is hunting for the hacker Grendel, who knows something she doesn't about her past and her family, when she happens upon a black French freedom fighter, Alain, and joins his cause: taking down the nefarious Korean mega-corporation KT Sigan, which is squeezing every last penny out of Mirador's residents by upping the cost of internet connectivity. Anja, Mari's rich, German-immigrant Cherry Dogs teammate, buys the team's way into a charity Overworld tournament hosted by KT Sigan, and that may offer Mira and Alain a chance to succeed...if their tech-skills are up to the task. Wells' continuing series of futuristic thrillers ramps up the cinematic action and humor in his multicultural, multiethnic, dystopian near future. Realistic characters, whip-smart dialogue, and carefully controlled and believable technobabble (with sprinklings of Spanish, Chinese, and more) will have thriller, SF, and video-game fans rooting for the Cherry Dogs. A high-tech, futuristic Ocean's Eleven with teens. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 The sequel to Bluescreen (2016) plunges readers back into the neo-noir, futuristic Los Angeles of 2050. Mexican American teen gamer Marisa is still living with her parents in Mirador, a neighborhood on the brink of poverty, and trying to track down Grendel when she's not working at her family's struggling restaurant. Opportunity arises when her online gamer group, Cherry Dogs, is invited to an in-person gaming competition hosted by the very L.A.-based megacorp they want to take down. The normally far-flung members of the Cherry Gang convene, planning an epic hack on the system, but as usual, they're forced to think quickly. Turns out virtual reality holds as many surprises as the real world. In this strong follow-up, Wells mines the ever-deepening divide between the haves and the have-nots. A newcomersexy, dangerous Alainopens Marisa's eyes to her own privilege and the many parts of L.A. in which people are worse off than she and her family. Fans of Mr. Robot and those who like rooting for the underdog will find much to enjoy in this smart, accessible series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
While still searching for hacker Grendel, Marisa's life changes when her amateur Overworld team receives an invitation to Forward Motion. The exclusive tournament could turn the team pro and save Marisa's family from poverty in 2050 Los Angeles. But it turns out winning may be the only way to survive. In this second virtual realityinfluenced dystopia (Bluescreen), Wells again makes the futuristic startlingly realistic.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)