Starters

If I hear a lot about a book, I want to check it out. There was a lot of buzz around Lissa Price's new YA novel Starters, which is described as a Hunger Games-like story. I was intrigued, but when I searched for it at the library found it was only available as a Playaway. I put it on hold, unsure I'd actually listen to it, but then ideal biking weather approached and as I started biking further and further, I was wishing I had something to listen to while riding. (I don't have an iPod or one of those fancy phones with music downloads.) Ah, but I did have a Playaway. And so I listened to Starters as I pedaled around.

Like The Hunger Games, Starters is set in the future after a war. An epidemic swept the nation and those vaccinated were the children ("starters") and the elderly ("enders"). Children without grandparents were sent to an institution, but Callie and her younger brother live on the streets to avoid the desolation that awaits orphans. Out of desperation, Callie decides to go to Prime Destinations, where teens can rent their bodies to seniors. But things get complicated, messy, and then dangerous. That's all I'll say in the interest of not giving too much away. It was an enjoyable book--gripping and interesting. I can see why there is so much comparison to The Hunger Games and I would agree fans of the book by Suzanne Collins would enjoy Lissa Price's new novel.