An international bestseller published in over thirty countries, this riveting sci-fi dystopic thriller is “a bona fide page-turner.” —MTV.com
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie.
Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter.
Callie soon discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than she could ever have imagined. . . .
Praise for STARTERS:
“A smart, swift, inventive, altogether gripping story.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author DEAN KOONTZ
“Compelling, pulse-pounding, exciting . . . Don’t miss it!” —New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr
“Readers who have been waiting for a worthy successor to Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games will find it here. Dystopian sci-fi at its best.” —Los Angeles Times
“Intriguing, thought-provoking and addictive.” —BookReporter.com
“Readers will stay hooked. . . . Constantly rising stakes keep this debut intense.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Fast-paced dystopian fiction. . . . The inevitable sequel can’t appear soon enough.” —Booklist
"Intriguing, fast-paced . . . Fans of dystopian novels will be completely engaged and clamoring for the sequel." —School Library Journal
“Addictive and alluring.” —Examiner.com
“Chilling and riveting.” —Shelf-Awareness.com
“A must-read for fans of The Hunger Games and Legend. Fast-paced, romantic, and thought-provoking.” —Justine
3 of 3 copies available
-
Creators
-
Series
-
Publisher
-
Release date
March 13, 2012 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780307968371
- File size: 297731 KB
- Duration: 10:20:16
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Levels
- ATOS Level: 3.9
- Lexile® Measure: 550
- Interest Level: 6-12(MG+)
- Text Difficulty: 2-3
-
Reviews
-
April 30, 2012
Newcomer Price launches a dystopian series that offers familiar elements of the genre, but also a notable command of technique. The immersive storytelling swoops along with minimal exposition. As a result, readers may initially feel as disoriented as heroine Callie Woodland. Sixteen years old and homeless in a post-plague world, Callie has a sick brother to keep safe and few choices. "The spores" wiped out most of the working-age population; the seniors who remain have developed ways to dramatically extend their life spans. To them, young people (aka "Starters") are just another resource for voracious "Enders" to consume. When Callie sells her body as a rental, to be occupied by the mind of a wealthy Ender, all she knows is that the fee will pay for a place to live afterward. She's not supposed to wake up in someone else's life or hear someone else's voice in her head. And she never imagined her body being used to implement a horrific scheme. Raising questions about class, property, and body/mind separation, Price's thriller features well-crafted tension, believable villains, and moments of stolen sweetness. Ages 12âup. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman. -
May 28, 2012
In this audio edition of Price’s dystopian fantasy, in an effort to save her ailing brother and acquire some much needed money, young Callie—who lost her parents during the Spore Wars—allows her body to be used as a shell by senior citizens wanting to be young again. As a shell in a disease-ravaged world, Callie makes two terrible discoveries: that shells are dying and that orphans are being forced to serve as permanent shells. Rebecca Lowman provides well-paced, clear narration and captures the spirit of the novel’s young protagonist. The voices Lowman lends to male characters are distinct and appropriate, but many of her female characters sound melodramatic. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover.
-