The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (review)

A mysterious disease has killed most of America’s children, and those few who survived have developed stunning new powers, including telekinesis and mind control. Suddenly terrified of its own children, the government rounds up the young survivors, confining them in camps where they are strictly monitored and controlled. Sixteen-year-old Ruby, imprisoned since her tenth birthday, has been keeping secret the true extent of her mind-control powers. Rescued by the Children’s League, she quickly realizes that the League has plans of its own for her future and escapes her rescuers, joining up instead with a ragtag group of fellow fugitives led by would-be hero Liam. On the run from government agents, bounty hunters, League members, and even other runaways, Ruby and her companions search for the Slip Kid, the leader of an underground safe house for kids. The Slip Kid turns out also to have an agenda, and Ruby is faced with deciding how much she will sacrifice for her future and her freedom. Heart-wrenching but completely riveting, the novel pulls no punches, creating a bleak world where the best that children can hope is to escape those who would imprison or manipulate them is the best that children can hope for. Resisting the urge to overexplain, Bracken carefully employs hints and flashbacks to reveal essential background information, and the gradual revelation of the story’s many secrets ratchets up the anxiety. The resolute harshness, though, is tempered by genuine emotional connections between the survivors and playful banter between friends; a blossoming romance emerges between Ruby and Liam but never overshadows Ruby’s personal emotional journey. Fans of the darker elements of Collins’ The Hunger Games (BCCB 11/08) and Shusterman’s Unwind (BCCB 2/08) will want to pick up this inventive new take on the science fiction survival story.