Monday, January 26, 2009

Little Brother by Doctorow

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. 2008.
Audience: 8-12 Grade; Ages 13 and up
My Rating: 3.5*s of 5
Summary: Interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus is released into what is now a police state, and decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.
Comments: I don't know what was more terrifying--what "Homeland Security" was doing in this book or the tech stuff Marcus could do. I really enjoyed the ride of this book and all the techno-lessons along the way. Marcus is a heroic underdog character for frustrated techno-guys to imagine themselves as. Ange was also a capable and empowered character as the female love interest.
Awards: Booklist Editor's Choice: 2008, SLJ Best Books for Children: 2008
Read-alikes: 1984 by Orwell

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a 2009 Tayshas book! I'm glad you liked it. I love dystopian novels. I would have given this book 3/5 stars, because there were times when I felt disconnected from the book, if that makes sense.

Bonnie said...

Did you feel the disconnect when the story stopped to explain the technology? I can see that cutting off a reader.