Concentr8

Gr 7 Up—In a near future, London is coping with some difficult issues. Life was calm while the government provided a drug called Concentr8 that was prescribed for people coping with ADHD. However, riots quickly spread throughout the city when Concentr8 is no longer distributed. In the midst of the chaos, five friends make a pivotal, spur-of-the-moment choice that will change everything: kidnap a government official. During the hostage situation, the depth of London's problems is revealed as more complicated than originally believed. Sutcliffe blends many character perspectives to shape the full story. This includes not only the teenagers but also politicians, journalists, and police officers. A few of these voices are tougher to follow than others with one punctuated almost exclusively with question marks and another essentially lacking punctuation entirely. This writing style allows readers to understand each of the characters and be able to relate with at least one. Though the book is set in the future, each chapter begins with quotes from historic texts and current research in ADHD trends as well as seemingly real Internet posts. The fictional book is alarmingly close to reality, making the story that much more powerful. Still, the teen characters do not benefit from any personal growth, and the story fizzles out with an anticlimactic conclusion.