Extraction

Gr 9 Up—Unless you're fortunate enough to be born in the Core, survival on planet Kiel is extremely difficult and life expectancy is short. Spunky, clever 16-year-old Clementine is a resident of the Surface where a field protects the destroyed planet from the moon's toxic acid. She has managed to not only survive without a family, but has also thrived in her education. Because the teen has proven to be obedient, intelligent, and strong, she and other young people from various sectors are selected for "Extraction" and will be sent to live in the Core. Clementine is torn about leaving her best friend, Logan, who will be "replaced" in three years after hard labor on the Surface, and is determined to convince the top Commander to allow Logan to join her. Clementine's training in her new home is challenging and nonstop. She inadvertently makes an enemy of one of the officers, a bully who injures and sexually harasses her at every opportunity. As truths are revealed about the society's history, its imperfections, and the destruction that the leaders have planned, the main character and a small group decide they must intercede before it is too late. Overall, this first installment feels like a combination of elements taken from other popular series. Hopefully, the next book in the planned trilogy will focus more on the science fiction aspects of the narrative (particularly the aliens). Still, with its selfless, likable heroine and themes of oppression/hope/rebellion, Extraction will appeal to fans of dystopian fiction.—Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO