Yes, I'm guilty. I shop books by cover.
I picked up Carol Plum-Ucci's Streams of Babel (Harcourt Children's Books, 2008) because of the cover.
Or perhaps, more specifically, the tagline:
"DON'T DRINK THE WATER--
BIOTERRORISTS FUEL A SUBURBAN NIGHTMARE"
That, coupled with the ominous red tones of the cover (which, upon reading the book, I realized were very appropriate) really grabbed my attention. I couldn't leave the store without it.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
In a New Jersey suburb, two women die of brain aneurysms within twenty-four hours--events that cause the government to suspect that a terrorist cell has unleashed a deadly biochemical agent. With each glass of water they drink, the people of Trinity Falls are poisoning themselves. A world away in Pakistan, a sixteen-year-old computer genius working as a virtual spy for the United States sees an influx of chatter from extremists about a substance they call Red Vinegar that will lead to many deaths in Colony One. Can he warn the victims before it's too late? A Printz Honor Award winner and two-time Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist, Carol Plum-Ucci explores disturbing new terrain in this riveting novel that examines the heroes and victims involved in a terrifying act of bioterrorism.
My Review:
I love when authors go out on a limb and don't disappoint. This could have been a huge disaster. It's a delicate balance to use young adults as the primary characters in a story about terrorism without losing the realism and believability. The intelligence elements of the story feel accurate without being so technical that they don't fit with the age of the characters. Plum-Ucci also refuses to whitewash--it's not a pretty tale. Given the atmosphere in the world today, this book left me feeling more than a little uneasy. It has a disturbing realism that kept me awake on more than a few nights.
There's a large cast of characters, but they're each uniquely crafted, definitely not thin or one-dimensional. The side plot of Cora's struggle to reconcile her feelings about her volatile, troubled mother is particularly well-written.
My Rating:
Plot/Characters:
 |
| Well-done, but not an OH-GOD-HOW-AMAZING sort of read. |
Cover:
 |
| Sinister and ominous. Great tagline and color. |
BONUS:
The sequel: Fire Will Fall
 | |
| (Incidentally, nowhere near as impressed with this cover...) |
Check out the synopsis at Goodreads.
