School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-When Devin's dad dies, he sets out on a journey to the city to find a farm hand. Instead, he finds lots of children living alone on the streets. The children dream of a home called the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood, where the luckiest go. Through a true act of kindness, Devin is invited to the coveted home. But the home has hidden problems, a strange illness, and a secret horrific mission. Can Devin escape? Mark Turetsky's voice is dulcet and haunting in its narration. The quirky characters can be a little difficult to tell apart, but Turetsky's unique narrative style and intonations help to bring them to life. The story is slow to start, but soon listeners will be entranced. Listeners who liked Lois Lowry's The Giver and fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy listening to this audiobook.-Jessica Moody, Olympus Jr. High, Holladay, UT (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In her first book for children, Unsworth takes readers inside the sinister and secretive world of the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood-a refuge for specially chosen orphans in a bleak, scorching, and none-too-distant future. Devin has spent his young life on a secluded farm, "a pocket of richness" in an otherwise dry wasteland, with his grandfather. After his grandfather dies, Devin leaves for the city in order to survive. There he meets Kit-a girl with a dark past and quick, thieving hands-and Roman, who lures them both to the Home. With a photographic mind and heightened senses, Devin immediately suspects foul play at the Home, despite its extravagance and the too-good-to-be-true amenities it has to offer. Unsworth unravels the story with skilled deliberation, creating a page-turning mix of suspense, intrigue, and anxiety. The kids are genuine and quirky, just the right kind of mismatched misfits to snag readers' hearts. This is a wholly enjoyable journey, and a dystopian vision with some great new twists. Ages 10-up. Agent: Rebecca Carter, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Orphaned twelve-year-old Devin is invited to live at the paradisaical Home for Childhood, but something terrifying is happening to the children there. Devin's synesthesia, which makes him interesting to the Home's sinister Administrator, may provide the key to their escape. Set in a world of postclimate change desperation, Unsworth's story thoughtfully explores the theme of adults' nostalgia for childhood. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A group of orphans uncovers a sinister plot in this chilling and engrossing tale filled with detailed, sharply drawn characters. Sometime in a future rife with climate crisis and brutal polarization of wealth, Devin buries his beloved grandfather and sets out to find someone to help him maintain the farm on which he's grown up. In the city, he struggles to find enough food to live on until he meets a clever, street-wise girl named Kit. When Devin is invited by another boy to the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood and insists that Kit be included too, the pair is initially delighted at the abundance of food and other comforts, but they rapidly begin to see that something terrible underpins the home. There are many familiar tropes here, the dystopian setting and the uncanny perfection of the orphanage among them. Yet Unsworth's use of unadorned but vivid languagesuch as her description of Devin's mind in a moment of panic being "battered by fear and confusion like a bird beating its wings against the bars of a cage"is incredibly effective. Likewise, the straightforward third-person narration and the gradual resistance that builds among the children to the unique horrors at the home are convincingly well-paced. A standout in the genre's crowded landscape. (Dystopian thriller. 10-16)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The story of Hansel and Gretel gets a dystopian sci-fi revamp in Unsworth's ominous offering. Devin has just buried his grandfather, which forces him to leave the fertile valley of his farm and venture out into the drought-plagued, food-scarce world. After befriending fellow street urchin Kit, the two are discovered by a young man who invites them to a place where food, water, and diversions are in abundance. Indeed, the Gabriel H. Penn Home for Childhood seems to be just that, crawling with well-fed kids hoping to be adopted by the elderly visitors. But then Devin and Kit learn of the Place, where every few weeks, they receive a shot and disappear into a dream for two days. Something is rotten, and they need to figure it out before their brains become spoiled. Mostly this book acts as a protracted wait for the big reveal, without much in the way of detail or characters. But the wait is delicious, and the reveal is plenty icky, making this a page-turner perfect for fans of Mike A. Lancaster.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2014 Booklist