Publisher's Synopsis
Elena Ransom doesn't make friends easily and she doesn't adjust well to change. When she's forced, by law, to attend boarding school she absolutely doesn't want to go. Her only consolation is that her BFF Austin and their friend Pigg will join her there.
Her new life at Grimsby School of the Republic is complex as she resists making new friends, deals with a class bully, and struggles to adjust to her new course schedule. In addition, she's constantly in trouble with the Drill Instructor during Basic Training. But this is just the beginning of her troubles.
After her parents untimely death, Elena begins to uncover the truth about their past and suspects that they were actually murdered. Uncovering this truth will lead her, Austin, Pigg, and their new friends outside the safety of their home, and illegally into the former United States of America where they will search for an artifact that will change their destinies..
"Elena Ransom is a spunky, sassy girl that teenagers will identify with immediately. In this exciting adventure set in the not-too-distant future, Elena battles the universal difficulties that plague all teenagers: the search for identity, the struggle for independence, the questions "who am I?" and "why am I here?" You will fall in love with the highly relatable cast of characters in this fast-paced, easy to read, entertaining novel." Jeannie, 10th grade English teacher
"This is a great introductory book for young readers looking for a start in the adventure/fantasy/sci-fi genre. With a mixture of Suzanne Collins's plot twists and Jeanne Duprau's sense of adventure, J.S. Wood throws readers right into the future and creates very strong characters with a fluid narration that keeps the pages turning. I truly enjoyed the avid descriptions of Elena's futuristic world and seeing the character development between Elena and her friends as they learn to work as a team and focus on their strengths together." Alex, book blogger
"I really like this take on dystopia and think that Wood has something really strong going here. The story line is something I've never really encountered before, but in a setting that is really familiar if you've read some other dystopia books, and I like it that way." Brittany, book blogger
