Padma Wulandari

The Q

Book by Amy Tintera

DETAILS

Publisher : Crown Books for Young Readers (November 8, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 352 pages ISBN-10 : 059348617X ISBN-13 : 978-0593486177 Reading age : 14 - 17 years Lexile measure : HL590L Grade level : 9 - 12 , In this action-packed adventure from a New York Times bestselling author, two teenagers from opposite worlds must fight their way through a vast walled quarantine zone in a dystopian America toward their only chance for survival. Seventeen-year-old Maisie Rojas has spent her entire life in the Q—a post-pandemic quarantine zone that was once Austin, Texas. Born and raised behind the high security walls that sealed their fate, she's now a trusted lieutenant for one of the territory's controlling families. Lennon Pierce, the charismatic son of a US presidential candidate, has just been kidnapped by his father's enemies and dropped out of a plane into the Q with nothing but a parachute strapped to his back. Lennon is given a temporary antidote to the disease and crucial intel for his father, but Maisie must get him out of the zone within forty-eight hours--or he will be permanently infected and forced to remain. With unrest brewing both inside and outside the Q, reaching the exit is a daunting and dangerous task. But if Maisie and Lennon fail, it could mean disaster for the entire quarantine zone and its inhabitants—and could cost Lennon his life. Strap in for breakneck action and compelling characters in this timely, nonstop thriller. Read more

REVIEW

In the quarantine zone, known as “the Q,” residents are cut off from the rest of the US. Some people were born inside; this is the only life they know, as no one can leave. The US only allows one entrance to the Q that is strictly for supplies, and that entrance is in the North. Divided from the North, the southern residents depend on the food and medicine runs from the North. Run by two opposing gangs and with a disease with no cure, life inside the Q isn’t easy. But when Lennon, a senator’s son, is dropped inside, Rosie is tasked with bringing him to the gate. It will be dangerous, and they’re on borrowed time, lest Lennon becomes infected. Tintera writes in the introduction that she wrote the book before the pandemic, and it’s a case of bad timing, which is completely understandable. But the storyline is unique, which will appeal to a lot of readers. There are many varying elements: the city isn’t at peace, there are opposing factions, and of course, one is trying to control the other. I like the way this is set up, with no easy resolution to this pandemic, but that it is contained, even if the means of doing so is awful. I also really dig the dystopian premise, not only in what’s happening to the Q residents but with the president of the US as well. I enjoyed the alternating points of view this is told in, even when the POVs seem like complete opposites. Rosie is street smart, and I empathize with what her life must look like. Lennon is forced to wear a face that doesn’t reflect who he is because of his father. Overall, this is a book you don’t want to put down. Thank you, Random House Children's, for sending this along.

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