The Darkest Minds

by Alexandra Bracken Narrated by Amy McFadden

Overview

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Ruby was nine years old when the IAAN virus struck, killing an estimated 98% of adolescents across the U.S. Many of those who survived developed psychic abilities and face a perilous future, locked in brutal work camps. There are five categories of survivors, ranging from the less threatening Greens and Blues, with photographic memories and telekinetic powers, to the more powerful and dangerous Oranges and Reds. Ruby, now 16, is an Orange who has posed as a Green, and struggles to control her ability to see into others’ minds. When an antigovernment group breaks Ruby out of her camp, it’s the first step on a violent, unpredictable journey during which she forms a family of sorts with a group of fellow runaways. Bracken (Brightly Woven) has created a gritty, economically devastated near-future America where children are hunted and feared, and danger lurks even in the aisles of an abandoned Wal-Mart. Ruby is a strong and sympathetic heroine, and the story’s quick-paced action leads to a heartbreaking cliffhanger that will have readers eager for the next book in this planned trilogy. Ages 12–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Nov.)

School Library Journal - Audio

09/01/2013
Gr 9 Up—When Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration broke out in the United States, most teens died, and the few who lived manifested psi powers, from telekinesis to mind control. The government, already on edge from political and economic issues, used scare tactics, misinformation, and bullying to insure that parents sent their children to government "rehabilitation" camps. Ruby was placed in Camp Thurmond at the age of 10. Once there, the youths with special powers were punished, not rehabilitated. At 16, she is liberated by the Children's League, but they, too, want to control her, and she breaks from them to join fellow escapees Liam, Chubs, and Zu. They are determined to find the Slip Kid, who is rumored to help kids reunite with their families. This ragtag foursome outfits themselves at an abandoned Walmart, fights off unfriendly youth "tribes," and begins to forge bonds of trust and romance. Ruby makes a thoughtful sacrifice, for the good of those she loves in the final chapters of the book (Hyperion, 2012), the first in a trilogy. Narrator Amy McFadden grows more comfortable with the voices as the title progresses, adding more nuance, particularly to major characters, and the proper note of teenage sarcasm. This dystopian tale will attract fans of Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" (Simon Pulse) and Lauren Oliver's "Delirium" series (HarperCollins).—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—In this dystopian future, most preadolescents and adolescents are dead, brought down by a new disease, Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration. Ruby Daly and other survivors from her town are taken to Camp Thurmond by the Psi Special Forces to be tested, categorized, and, according to the PR, "rehabilitated." There is no rehabilitation, though, in the concentration camps for young people with special powers, just drudgery and punishment. Ruby hides a secret from the PSF-she is not a Green, but an Orange, someone who can affect other people's minds. Members of the Children's League help her to escape but she is soon on the run from them as well when she learns that they intend to use her to commit violence. She joins the small band of Liam and Chubs, who are telekinetics, or Blues, and Zu, who is a Yellow, a person who can control electricity and machinery. Together the four seek East River, a sanctuary whose leader, the Slip Kid, can supposedly get messages to their parents. Before they can find the camp, they have to evade PSF soldiers, bounty hunters, and the Children's League, as well as solve the riddle of its location. While this story is full of action, it is also given depth by the difficult choices that Ruby faces. There are some fairly disturbing events and images (torture, rape, blood splattering, etc.). This book is a natural for dystopia fans but romance readers will also enjoy the blooming love between Ruby and Liam.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172436321
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	04/02/2013
Series:	Darkest Minds Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,038,029

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