Gr 7 Up—The accident was horrific. Seventeen-year-old Evening Spiker should have lost her leg, if not her life. But mere hours after being rushed to the hospital, her mother, the über-powerful owner of Spiker Biopharmaceuticals, arranges for her to be transported to the SB Campus. Evening meets a mysterious boy named Solo, who fights his fascination with her even as he plots to destroy her mother, and she is given a fun assignment to do while she heals (at an unbelievably accelerated speed). It is to create the perfect guy-literally. Evening and Solo take turns narrating the story, along with Adam, her science project, and their voices ring absolutely true. Everything about this book is pitch-perfect: plot, characters, pace, everything. It is funny, thought-provoking, emotionally wrenching, romantic, and, above all, entertaining. It includes some violence, references to alcohol, drugs, and sex, but nothing overt. Ethical and moral questions abound and will spark spirited debate. It'll make 'em laugh. It'll make 'em think. You may want to buy multiples.Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
Eleventh-grader Evening Spiker (E.V. or Eve for short) has grown up with the wealth and privilege that go with being the only child of Terra Spiker, the stereotypically icy and no-nonsense CEO of Spiker Biopharmaceuticals. When Eve's leg is severed in an accident, the company clinic comes in handy, and when recovery gets to be a bore, there's the human simulation program to play with—Eve's mother asks her to "design the perfect boy" with it. A young orderly, Solo, is easy on the eyes, but he also prods Eve to acknowledge truths she'd rather ignore, like how fast her reattached leg is healing. Solo knows a lot about Spiker, more than a guy who pushes the coffee cart ought to. Why? The husband-and-wife team of Grant and Applegate (the Ani-morphs series) knows how to keep the questions and the action coming as they alternate (mostly) between Eve and Solo's perspectives. Observant, smart, and unencumbered by emotion, this is a tasty read that readers will devour in a flash. Lucky for them, there's a sequel planned. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)
. . . the blend of action and romantic suspense will be welcoming . . .” —Booklist
“Observant, smart, and unencumbered by emotion, this is a tasty read that readers will devour in a flash.” —Publishers Weekly
“The husband and wife team behind the Animorphs series returns with the first installment of an entertaining saga that pits smart teens against high-tech evildoers and bionic skullduggery.” —Kirkus
“It'll make 'em laugh. It'll make 'em think. You may want to buy multiples.” —School Library Journal
“Grant and Applegate portray a chilling brave new world of genetic technology, presenting fascinating speculative possibilities that are weighed against their moral implications.” —The Horn Book
The husband-wife team behind the Animorphs series returns with the first installment of an entertaining saga that pits smart teens against high-tech evildoers and bionic skullduggery. A run-in with a streetcar left Evening Spiker's body seriously mangled. Against medical advice, her widowed mother, Terra, insists on moving her from the hospital to Spiker Biopharmaceuticals, the cutting-edge biotech company she owns, renowned for its worldwide medical good works. Assisting Terra--though with an agenda of his own--is Solo Plissken, who takes more than a passing interest in Eve. Both teens feel a deep ambivalence toward Terra and Spiker Biopharm, though for different reasons, and beyond their mutual attraction, share a troubling, mysterious connection from the past. Eve's healing is strangely swift but leaves her bored and restless until Terra drops a project, billed as genetics education, in her lap: Design a virtual human being from scratch. With help from her feisty, reckless friend Aislin, Eve takes up the challenge. While she becomes increasingly mesmerized by her creation, Adam, Solo edges closer to achieving his own goals. The straightforward narration by Eve, Solo and Adam in compact, swift-moving prose, makes this a first-rate choice for reluctant readers while raising provocative questions about the nature of creation and perfection. An auspicious, thought-provoking series opener. (Science fiction/romance. 12 & up)