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saidtheraina 's review for:
Autonomous
by Andy Marino
I'm always looking for books that will appeal to "reluctant" or "striving readers." When I visit schools, I know that the kids who already like to read will get into whatever I take, as a rule (I generally take about 12 books at a time). It's the kids who identify as non-readers - who don't feel comfortable in libraries, whose families don't consider reading a pleasure activity - who I want to engage. It's way too easy for Librarians and Book People to forget that that's what we are - Book People. We tend to surround ourselves with other people who think like us and like what we like.
And there are lots of people who do not feel comfortable in the spaces we love the most.
So, it's important to me to promote books about stuff that will pique the interest of and feel relevant to kids who don't typically choose to hang out in book-rich spaces. Especially when I have the privilege of a platform in front of large groups of high school students in my good-sized public school district.
Anyway, I was attracted to this book because I thought it would appeal to those kids. The kids who don't get excited when reading comes up.
The cover and concept gave me the impression that this would be a high action thriller, like The Lab by [a: Jack Heath|2295135|Jack Heath|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549416201p2/2295135.jpg], but the Kirkus blurb on the back give a more accurate impression of the experience of reading it: "A high-tech, twisted, Breakfast Club for the social media age." Although there are action sequences, more of the girth of this 350pg book is spent on the machinations of four friends, with some cyberthriller thrown in.
All perfectly fun to read, don't get me wrong. I was into Christina (though quickly tired of her). The story is told from 5 different perspectives, so Marino gets into the heads of each of the four teens (to varying degrees of success). I dug the timely nature of a thriller starring an autonomous car.
It was good! I took it to local high schools in Fall 2019. There's sex and drinking, and a whole lot of thinking about what you do after high school, so fit right in that sweet spot of books I take on my high school tour.
And there are lots of people who do not feel comfortable in the spaces we love the most.
So, it's important to me to promote books about stuff that will pique the interest of and feel relevant to kids who don't typically choose to hang out in book-rich spaces. Especially when I have the privilege of a platform in front of large groups of high school students in my good-sized public school district.
Anyway, I was attracted to this book because I thought it would appeal to those kids. The kids who don't get excited when reading comes up.
The cover and concept gave me the impression that this would be a high action thriller, like The Lab by [a: Jack Heath|2295135|Jack Heath|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549416201p2/2295135.jpg], but the Kirkus blurb on the back give a more accurate impression of the experience of reading it: "A high-tech, twisted, Breakfast Club for the social media age." Although there are action sequences, more of the girth of this 350pg book is spent on the machinations of four friends, with some cyberthriller thrown in.
All perfectly fun to read, don't get me wrong. I was into Christina (though quickly tired of her
Spoiler
mooning over WilliamIt was good! I took it to local high schools in Fall 2019. There's sex and drinking, and a whole lot of thinking about what you do after high school, so fit right in that sweet spot of books I take on my high school tour.