The Leveller

Gr 7–10—Nixy Bauer is a virtual bounty hunter. Her parents are developers for a highly advanced virtual reality called the MEEP, and Nixy, an unofficial beta tester, uses her inside knowledge to make money from clients who hire her to "drag their wayward sons and daughters back from the MEEP." When she is contacted by the creator of the virtual reality, she is thrilled at the lucrative opportunity. But the job is especially hard, and when she finally reaches her employer's son Wyn, she discovers that he is trapped and that her job is actually a rescue mission. The romance that develops between the two and Nixy's damsel-in-distress phase in the middle of the book unfortunately detract from her otherwise strongly defined character. Nixy's personality is aptly summed up by her acquaintance Cooper when he calls her a "stinking, money-grabbing traitor." The teen defends her line of work by pointing at that "it beats bagging groceries or washing cars." However, Nixy's narrative voice—made likable and distinctive by quirks such as swearing in Norwegian because "it tends to get us in less trouble than the English F-word"—is a strong point that remains constant throughout the book. Despite differences in setting, this work shares some attributes with some popular dystopian titles, such as fast-paced action scenes, a strong female protagonist, and mistrust toward those in power.