The Sandcastle Empire

Gr 9 Up—After a violent group called the Wolfpack seizes control of the United States in 2055, Eden escapes from a gulag on the Texas coast along with three other girls. They flee to Sanctuary Island, a supposedly safe place that Eden locates by following directions in a guidebook her scientist father gave her before he disappeared. The teens quickly discover that the island is a hostile jungle environment occupied by Resistance fighters who may not be trustworthy and Wolves who plan to turn them into spies. Short, action-packed chapters will appeal to reluctant readers, although the too-convenient plot points may induce eye rolls. (For instance, when the girls' compass starts malfunctioning during their sail to the island, Eden finds a section in the survival manual called "HOW TO NAVIGATE WITHOUT A COMPASS.") The sophisticated gadgets used by the Wolves and the Resistance will delight tech geeks. Unfortunately, the character development and dialogue don't match up with the inventive world-building. Clichés litter the text, and the dialogue belongs in a bad action movie ("What they don't know is that I'm a sheep in wolves' clothes").