THE ROAR

On a future Earth, 12-year-old Ellie pilots a fighter pod from an orbiting space station to England. Although she’s determined to reunite with her parents and twin brother Mika, she is recaptured by government agents. How Mika discovers the secrets of their dystopian society and begins to seek a peaceful solution to them propels the exciting, suspenseful plot. In fact, this compulsive read should not be started at bedtime if readers intend to get any sleep. Echoes of Ender’s Game and the Tripod Trilogy lend interest to Clayton’s skillful blending of science-fiction tropes into an original novel. Transportation pods, monstrous cyborg animals, advanced healing techniques and the scientific study of ESP provide the details that make this world work. The book’s climax, although satisfying in itself, does not resolve all readers’ questions or tie up the loose ends that provide an enticing glimpse of possibilities for future volumes. Since it ends with a walloping cliffhanger, here’s hoping a sequel appears in our not-too-distant future. (Science fiction. 10-12)