V is on a work assignment to rebuild City Five.
He has strict orders to turn over any personal belongings he finds in the
rubble. He recovers what appears to be a diary belonging to Pelly D, a girl who
lived in the city during the war. Acting against the Rules and Regulations, he
keeps the diary and relives the war through Pelly’s experiences. It becomes
obvious that genetics testing has led to ethnic cleansing. The author has a
compelling idea but makes it difficult on the reader. The scientific aspects
are skipped and the characters feelings are the focus. The author does not
provide the reader with basic information such as where these cities are
located, why these people have gills, and why they were created in a lab.

The
reader has no idea how much time has passed after the war, and if Tony V knows
what may have happened to Pelly D. The reader can infer what happened to Pelly,
but too many assumptions are needed.

The
confusion that Pelly feels when she goes from being popular and part of a
prominent family, to having her entire way of life changed when genetic testing
begins is genuine. The reader is able to sense her naivety about where her
friends are being sent off to and why her family must move. The conflict with
her father is one that the reader wishes the author had touched on more.

There
are many other questions left unanswered by the L. J. Adlington such as if Tony
V. really knew what happened to Pelly. As the reader, you must come to your own
conclusion but it would have been nice to have him deal with his feelings about
a girl that he felt a strong bond with but had never met.

© 2005 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children