Slated (Slated Series #1)

by Teri Terry

Overview

Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost forever. She’s been slated. The government claims that she was a terrorist and they are giving her a second chance—if she plays by their rules. But scenes from the past haunt her as she tries to adjust to a new life, family, and school, leaving her unsettled. Who is she really? And if only criminals are meant to be slated, why are so many other teens disappearing? As she and her friend Ben seek answers, Kyla is torn between the need to know more and her instinct for self-preservation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101591635
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/24/2013
Series:	Slated Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	239,247
Lexile:	HL530L (what's this?)
File size:	628 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Teri Terry (teriterry.jimdo.com) is Canadian by birth, and has lived in France, Canada, and Australia. She currently divides her time between writing and doing a research MA on the depiction of terrorism in young adult literature since the 9/11 attacks in America. Slated is her debut novel. She lives in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Terry’s world is remarkably like today’s. . . . The romance and politics keep suspense ratcheted up. Intriguing—readers will be on tenterhooks for the next one.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Terry’s debut is a suspenseful page-turner with a highly sympathetic and strong female protagonist. A perverse sense of claustrophobic dread grows throughout the novel. . . . Will have readers waiting eagerly for a sequel.”—Booklist

“Debut author Terry’s . . . treatment of medically induced amnesia is intriguing.”—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Memory loss and near-future dystopia have been popular YA themes of late, and while debut author Terry’s dystopia is not always convincing—absent a large-scale catastrophe, it’s hard to believe society is going to give up its gadgetry—her treatment of medically induced amnesia is intriguing. Kyla Davis, who knows that’s not her real name, is 16 and emerging from nine months in the hospital after being “Slated,” or having her memory erased. She is preoccupied with observing and drawing her surroundings, studying them for clues to her old identity. This, readers are told, is unusual, though every “Slater” described in the book differs from the supposed “blank-brained” norm. One is Amy, Kyla’s black adoptive sister; another is Ben, a kind classmate with a knack for discovering information. There is little by way of conventional plot; the focus is on Kyla’s unfolding awareness and gradual piecing together of the puzzle that is her past. Intriguing, yes, but also frustrating—at the end of this book (a sequel arrives next year in the U.K.), there’s much left to happen in the plot. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caroline Sheldon, Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

“Building on an intriguing concept, this novel offers readers a chance to consider the power of memory and the inescapable influence of one's past. . . . [Kyla’s] instincts and innate curiosity make for a refreshing change from the often overly naïve heroines of recent YA science fiction, and readers will enjoy watching her learn to be crafty in the face of danger and adult deception. What truly makes this novel stand out from the dystopian pack, though, is the well-crafted suspense. Layers of mystery . . . the shifting blend of half-truths, misdirection, and obfuscation heightens the suspense. . . . Readers will anxiously await sequels to come.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“A wonderful, fast-paced tale. It has a fascinating premise: treat juvenile offenders humanely by removing all thoughts that caused their misbehavior; but at what cost does that humane treatment come? This could definitely continue as a series.

Library Media Connection

“Terry’s debut is a suspenseful page-turner with a highly sympathetic and strong female protagonist. A perverse sense of claustrophobic dread grows throughout the novel. . . . Will have readers waiting eagerly for a sequel.

Booklist

You do not want to be "Slated." This is a new and very different world; teens who are considered troublemakers are taken to a hospital and fitted with a Levo—a device that controls their behavior and keeps them happy. Their only problem is their memories have been destroyed. The "parents" who come to get them have never seen them before, but the young people do not know that. They must develop new memories, make new friends, learn to deal with new siblings—but they do not know anything else. They know only that they have been in the hospital; they think they have been very ill, and that all the attendants and nurses they have met were their friends and allies. The devices that are supposed to keep them happy can also cause great pain. If their behavior becomes questionable, that is if they find that they have more questions than answers, chances are that they will be taken away to be reprogrammed. And this is to be avoided at all costs. Kyla is one of these questioning children. She notices too much. And she realizes that the nurses are not her friends—but they have been reprogrammed, too, and a few are beginning to realize it. Can Kyla recruit enough allies, and avoid enough doctors and administrators, to literally save her life? This is a thought provoking novel with a premise that could be all too real. Reviewer: Judy Silverman

Children's Literature - Judy Silverman

Gr 7–9—In 2050 London, young criminals are "Slated"-their brains wiped clean of all memories. They relearn how to walk and talk in a hospital rather than a prison. Though Kyla is 16, her new family (Mum, Dad, Slated older sister Amy) will teach her that stoves are hot and traffic is dangerous. Kyla's Levo, a permanent wristband, will monitor her moods, beeping if she gets distressed and, in the worst-case scenario, disabling, and even killing her if she turns violent. Those who favored law and order thought this would solve the problem of gang violence and terrorist attacks. Kyla avoids the Slater Haters on the bus, goes to school, attends group meetings, and makes friends with fellow Slaters Ben and Jazz. Then her nightmares return, bits and pieces of a past life begin to surface, and calming mechanisms like eating chocolate or going for a run fail to bring her levels up to normal. Though the Central Coalition shows only happy news, and the militaristic Lorders maintain control, Kyla learns of a darker side of society. She comes to question the true uses of Slating and how people are chosen to undergo the procedure. Terry's debut novel treads familiar dystopian paths of controlling government, rebellious teens, and romance in a community where strong emotions are deemed unsuitable and dangerous. Slated has some lovely turns of phrase, a plot that speeds by, and a cliff-hanger ending. The terrain may not be new, but this book will attract many readers.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

School Library Journal

What would it be like to live in a world in which the fear of terrorists has resulted in the technology to wipe out memories or shut you down completely if you become deeply sad or angry? Kyla's memory has been wiped clean, and she's starting life with a new family. It's 2054, and since the '20s, the United Kingdom has lived with the Lorders, the Law and Order movement. Slating, as it's called, is a technique whose use is limited to people under the age of 17. Kyla is the second Slated child in her family; her new sister Amy is now a cheerful, happy person. Gradually, Kyla realizes that she is unique in that while she has no memories of the time before she awoke, she is able to think more clearly and has a different reaction to stress than Slated people should. Another Slated boy becomes her confidant as she delves deeper into the mystery of who she is. Terry's world is remarkably like today's, with some changes; computers and Internet use are totally state-controlled, for instance. Not all details stand up to scrutiny, but the romance and politics keep suspense ratcheted up. With no real resolution, it's clear that more of Kyla's story is to come. Intriguing--readers will be on tenterhooks for the next one. (Dystopian romance. 11 & up)

Kirkus Reviews