The Fox Inheritance

Gr 8 Up—Fans of Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008) will relish this futuristic sequel (2011, both Holt). Two hundred and sixty years have passed since a portion of Jenna Fox's mind was saved by her father and a body was built to house her brain after a car accident that also killed her best friends, Locke and Kara. As this tale begins, Locke and Kara are finally released from their digital purgatory by Dr. Gatsbro. They are hidden on his estate because they are illegal—less than ten percent of their brains were saved. The girls soon come to realize that Gatsbro sees them as a way to become rich—as prototypes for the wealthy who want to live forever. Escape from the estate is easy. Using 21st century minds to exist on the run in 23rd century world is difficult and they know nothing about their new world, so they seek out the only other person they know who might still be alive: Jenna Fox. The story is told from Locke's perspective, and Matthew Brown's youthful voice captures Locke's bewilderment and frustration. However, his failure to change pitch and tone for other characters is sometimes confusing. Libraries circulating the first title will definitely want to add this to their collections.—Tricia Melgaard, formerly Broken Arrow Public Schools, Tulsa, OK