Monday, November 12, 2007

Extras by Scott Westerfeld


So Tally Youngblood changed the world in Specials. People will no longer be brain damaged when they turn sixteen – they now have control over their own destinies. But what will they do with this new-found freedom?

In Aya’s city, what matters is being popular. That’s what determines your living conditions and for Aya, what she wants is to crack the top 1,000 of the most talked-about people. Unfortunately, at 451,369 she has a long way to go. But Aya has uncovered a mysterious group of girls that called themselves the Sly Girls – girls that avoid being popular but who do crazy, dangerous things like surfing on trains. And while riding with them, Aya discovers something even more horrifying – something that could threaten the existence of all those on earth. And eventually Tally Youngblood and her friends swoop in to help.

I liked Extras, but I must confess that it took me a while to get into it. The entire popularity theme is fitting for today’s world with all of our young stars that seemingly do anything to gain notoriety. I don’t think those at my school will enjoy it as much as they did the previous three books in the series, but I still think it’s worth reading and discussing.

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