Kidzworld's Official Blog

This week definitely had a more sci-fi feel. Both books were teen science fiction at its very best. The so-good-you-can’t-put-them-down combined with the so-short-you-can-read-them-in-no-time.

Num8ers by Rachel Ward follows Jem, a troubled teenager with a curse — when she looks into people’s eyes she can see the date they will die. When her mother died of an overdose she realized what these numbers meant. And now she finds it difficult to let anyone in. Then she meets Spider. His days are numbered, she can see it in his eyes. But there’s something about him, a connection she can’t deny. Is she setting herself up for another heartbreak, or can she use her knowledge to cheat death?

The Clone Codes by the McKissacks is a real page turner. It’s extremely short — only around 160 pages — but its jam-packed with a deep and thought-provoking plot, and an exciting adventure. The story is set in year 2170, a time when clones live amongst us. But they’re not treated like normal human beings. More like slaves. This concept revisits the 1800′s when black people were considered only three fifths human. Like the black slaves, these clones aren’t believed to be capable of human emotion. But there is an organization called the Liberty Bell Movement who is fighting against this unjust belief. Our main character, Leanna, is at the heart of this movement. Her mother is arrested for her involvement in the slave rights movement, and Leanna is on the run. She must prove to the government that clones do have human emotions and should be given the same respect and rights as everyone else. But its a challenging task for a 13 year old.