Crazy House

Gr 8 Up–This first installment in a new dystopian thriller series centers on twin sisters living on their own in a highly regulated farming community. Trying to make it through high school so that they can start their vocations and keep off the radar of the watchful and authoritarian ruling body The United, Cassie and Becca have never been outside their little town, known as a cell. When rebellious Becca goes missing, the narrative splits into two—Becca's harrowing tale of the mysterious and violent prison she is being held in, and Cassie's determined attempts to rescue her. Neither of the sisters' voices rings true, and the farming metaphors both of them use feel clunky and heavy-handed. The book features Patterson's trademark short chapters, violence, teens breaking in and out of prison, and rapidly shifting alliances, but the lengthy stretches of awkward plotting dilute the suspense. The action does get going in the last few chapters, and a welcome reveal sets the story in a promising direction for future volumes.