MILA 2.0
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Teen girl finds she's an android in tense sci-fi tale.
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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
Sixteen-year-old Mila Daily is grieving for her dead father; she's also dealing with the fact that her mother has uprooted her from Philadelphia to rural Minnesota, where the formerly homeschooled teen is just getting used to high school. Out of nowhere, she's confronted with the revelation that everything she knows is a lie, and the childhood and family she remembers never existed: In reality, she's a Mobile Intel Life-like Android, developed in a military lab for sophisticated covert operations, and her protective \"mother\" is the scientist who stole her when she started displaying human emotions. Now the two of them must go on the run, not just from Mila's creators -- who want to terminate them both -- but also from a shadowy organization that wants to sell Mila to the highest bidder.
Is It Any Good?
Hefty at 400+ pages, MILA 2.0 is a well-paced, suspenseful, heartstring-pulling drama, putting appealing characters in terrifying peril. Like much science fiction, it raises lots of questions about big issues, such as the nature of humanity, through the story's events and conversations.
Mila and her mom, who are front and center for most of the book, are complex, flawed, and compelling. Some of the supporting characters are more shallow and cartoonish, although some who appear only briefly here seem likely to return and develop further in the rest of the planned trilogy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about other stories about robots and androids. How does MILA 2.0 compare to them?
When Mila, who thinks she's human, falls into the hands of people who think she's not, how does she feel about the way they act toward her? How might this compare to the feelings of other people in groups who've been marginalized?
If you had powers like Mila's, how would you use them?
Book Details
- Author: Debra Driza
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Robots
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date: March 12, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 17
- Number of pages: 480
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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