The Clone Codes

This is clearly the beginning of a series. And if they are anything like this first one I have very high hopes. It reminded me a bit of 'Ender's Game' with its high tech world and future but from a kid's point of view--and a special kid at that. Its history updated as well, the authors admit that their inspiration was the Underground Railroad and events surrounding that time period. However, they weave actual history with their science fiction together wonderfully. The main girl character, who is narrating is real, she isn't annoying the way girls of her age are often written. Even though she is a girl, I think boys would enjoy the overall story as well, it isn't a 'girly' sort of book by any means. And the book starts with the reader hitting the ground running. My only problem was that while it was fast paced it was also really short for a book of its nature. I'm assuming the target audience is young adult in which case we could have used at least another 50 pages. Some scenes and characters could have been fleshed out more to really give the narrative and the world that is being created more scope. However, overall this book is not only really fun to read but explores interesting social, political and ethical issues. (Cloning, slavery, who has a soul...etc) This book doesn't have any questionable content, so I'd say its PG, maybe PG13 because there is some violence.

In the 22nd century, Leanna Deberry is a 13 year old much like contemporary teenagers. She has a best friend, she likes to play games, and she struggles with impulse control. She has already lost her father and sister in a accident when her mother is arrested for treasonous activities. When authorities come to take her mother, she urges Leanna to go to her employer's home, but instead she flees to a friend's. It's the first of several times that her instincts will lead her into danger. As the story progress, Leanna learns some stunning information about her own conception at the same time she links through her "commglasses" to historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Justice Harlan, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Authors Patricia, Fred and John McKissack use a wealth of information from the long struggle against slavery in the service of projecting those struggles into a world where humans share their lives with clones and cyborgs and corporations have control over all. This perspective drives the narrative, but it doesn't overpower the drama of the story. At 165 pages, this work of futuristic fiction is accessible while respecting the reader's ability to understand abstract issues of civil liberties. There are end notes with historical facts, but I wouldn't recommend reading them until you've read the story.

I am always on the lookout for things my tweens can read and this book did not disappoint. The story is set in the future, where clones are created to do jobs humans don't want to do. Even though the clones look like humans (other than their odd colors: purple, blue, etc), they have no rights and are not treated as humans. There is heavy reference and parallel to the slavery that is part of US History. Without giving away too much of the story, the plot revolves around a 13 year old girl who initially believes clones are not worthy of equal rights/treatment, but as her life suddenly spins out of control after her mother is arrested, she begins to change her views. For the most part, I thought the book was an entertaining short read, albeit a little predictable in spots, and I thought the ending, while left open, was too abrupt. My twelve year old son agreed. My ten year old daughter hasn't read it yet. All in all I would recommend this book with no qualms. There is no foul language, no adult themes, and it teaches a little about US History in an empathetic way.

In the year 2170, Leanne is studying the Underground Railroad in school when police come to arrest her mother for belonging to a secret organization that wants to give clones and cyborgs citizen rights. Leanne runs at her mother's request with a virtual scrapbook to learn about her heritage and about the organization her mother belongs to. She learns a lot about history with virtual guides; her great grandfather, Ben Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt and Justice John Marshall Harlan. It's the first book in a series and it's a very promising start, it's very easy to read, I'd recommend it for strong younger readers up through about 12 years old. The authors have written books about the history of slavery in the U.S.A. like Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts, and they took their knowledge of historical events about slavery, about laws and the Constitution and American history and wove it deftly into a futuristic story based on things happening now like mechanical medical replacements and cloning. I was actually a little leery because the story seemed too short to really include all the things the blurb said it had in it, but it worked very well and it's a book I recommend easily. It reads easily with great concepts to discuss. At the end of the book is a brief guide explaining the fact that the stories themes were based on and each of her virtual guides, so it could be a springboard for children to do more research and learn more about the people the guides were based on and the history the story is based on.

Leanna is thirteen years old, enrolls in a special virtual reality school, and is a basic teenager. The year is 2170, there are robots, cyborgs, and clones. The cyborgs are people that are three-fifths robot and clones are copies of people used to do menial jobs. Everything is going fine until a bounty hunter breaks into her house and arrests her mother for being a member of the Liberty Bell Movement, a group that is accused of working with aliens to take over the Earth. Now Leanna is on the run trying to keep from being arrested too. But she learns that she is not like normal teenagers. She is a clone, but not like the common clones that have colored skin based on what job they are supposed to do, no hair, and no form of personality or ability to think for themselves. While on the run, she learns that although the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery, because most people do not think cyborgs or clones are people, it is still happening. That the Liberty Bell Movement was started because aliens meet with several leaders throughout time to say that unless slavery was abolished in all forms, they are not going to allow us to travel off planet. This story reminds me of I, Robot meets The 6th Day for a young adult. It is a fast paced short story that probably is going to be a series. There is a lot of potential to this story. I think that it will turn out to be a good series that will make young adults think twice. This is a good story to make people look into labels that are given to groups of people. Shawn Kovacich Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.