Wow! Buying two copies! Teen, Inc. was fantastic. Funny, but with a mystery and a social message about environmental responsibility and corporate politics and greed.Jaiden's parents were killed by an explosion caused by a faulty NECorp product. To limit their losses and look good to the public, NECorp gets custody and raises Jaiden by committee. He lives in an office, has focus groups decide what he should do, and is the subject of endless memoes and meetings whenever he messes up.
' "Remember what happened when you were failing math last year?"
How could I forget? (They)...decided I should be sent on a retreat with accounting. You haven't lived until you've had forced bonding with twenty high-level accountants." ' (page 13)
Jaiden tries hard to keep his upbringing a secret and live a normal life, but when he is encouraged to start dating and becomes involved in a school project with a classmate whose father is anti-corporation, things quickly dissolve into chaos. He finds out that NECorp is not being truthful about its mercury waste problems, and when trying to put this right, Jaiden is hunted down by executives and threatened with a foster home in Idaho.
This book is a marvelous mix of things, and laugh aloud funny. Stefan Petrucha's Time Tripper series is great for my fantasy loving fans, but this book is accessible to all. Petrucha's other titles seem to be predominately graphic novels or franchised series, but I think that teen boy comedy is really his forte. I will definitely be picking up a copy of the forthcoming The Rule of Won.
For more on this author, check out his web site at:
This does sound interesting :)
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