The Body Market

Gr 8 Up—In this thoughtful sequel to Unplugged, Skylar has failed to save her best friends, Inara and Sylvia, from the App World, where they've been unplugged from virtual apps. They'll soon be sold to the highest bidders at the Body Market unless Skylar can rescue them. Still reeling from her sister Jude's betrayal, Skylar doesn't trust Rain, the boy she likes, because he's lied to her. When Skylar is kidnapped and held in a remote cabin by Kit, a motorcycle-riding teen bounty hunter, she convinces him not to turn her in. Instead, Skylar persuades Kit to help her overthrow Jude and promises to rescue his sister. In this second book in a planned trilogy, Skylar also finds out that she has a brother, who helps her figure out a coding glitch that will allow them to create an app that would override the plugs and wake up all the bodies. Skylar's brain is the only one that can make that possible, but there's a chance it won't work. Chapters are told from Skylar's, Rain's, and occasionally Kit's perspectives, giving readers a more in-depth look into their motives. Skylar's emotional response when she sees the Real World's ocean and snow for the first time is particularly affecting.