Across The Universe

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Three hundred years in the future, seventeen year old Amy and her parents will be awoken from their cryogenic slumber when a spaceship carrying their frozen bodies lands on the earthlike planet it is destined for. Once there, they will carry out their mission from earth, now referred to as Sol-Earth. There are a couple of problems with this plan. Very few people on the ship know about the frozen bodies below deck, and one of those bodies, Amy, has been unplugged, fifty years early. Amy awakens to a world unlike the one she has known, where people communicate via wi-coms implanted in their ears, everyone looks alike, and there are no people onboard below age twenty. Except for Elder.

Elder, seventeen, is destined to be the ship's next leader. When Elder discovers Amy, he is intrigued by her odd but beautiful red hair and pale skin. Who is this girl from Sol-Earth? Elder's mentor, also the ship's current and tyrannical leader, warns him about how Amy will cause the ship trouble. But Elder isn't sure if he can really trust him. After all, he wasn't told about the frozen bodies onboard.

This story is told from both Amy and Elder's perspectives, strong characters questioning what is true and what is not true in their worlds. While dystopian sci-fi at heart, expect a dose of mystery, for romantic sparks to fly, and to ponder questions about reality, authority, and ethics.

This book is part of a trilogy and book two, A Million Suns, is now out. It is also on last year's best teen fiction list, as chosen by KCLS. For more best books of last year check out our 2011 list.