False Memory

Krokos, Dan. False Memory.
14 August 2012, Hyperion (ARC from Baker and Taylor)

Miranda finds herself in a mall in Cleveland with her name being her only memory. She asks a security guard for help, but he thinks she's just causing him problems. She gets angry and releases a power that causes a huge panic... and results in the death of several people. She is rescued by Peter, who claims he knows her and that she will continue to incapacitate people unless they get her back on her "memory shots". It turns out that she is in a group of four young people who all have this power to send out brain waves that make people panic. They have been under the care of Dr. Tycast in a hidden lab, and when they return there, Miranda gets a few memories back, especially about Noah, whom she liked but who helped her escape. There is a greater conspiracy going on-- Dr. Tycast's superiors want to take the four children and use them to incite panic in large cities so that they can gain control. Once they figure out that they are not the only ones with these powers, that there are clones of them running around, Peter, Noah, Miranda and Olive decide that they must escape so they are not used for evil-- yet they need the "memory shots" or will lose all of their memory. With the help of Rhys, they learn many secrets about themselves and get settled in a new life... but for how long? There feels like there may be a sequel.
Strengths: There is lots of action in this, and the premise is fresh. The characters are engaging, and I kept reading because I really wanted to find out what was happening with Miranda.
Weaknesses: This is a very violent book. Obviously, the children are being trained to be assassins. While this bothered me, my students will probably love it. This isn't quite dystopia, but it is science fiction in a contemporary setting with dystopian elements, so it will circulate well.