The Fox Inheritance: The Jenna Fox Chronicles, Book 2
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Re-animated teens out for revenge in taut thriller sequel.
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What's the Story?
Dr. Gatsbro is proud of his two creations: teens Kara and Locke, their minds left in boxes for 260 years intil his brilliant self came along. With only very trace amounts of their DNA and lots of BioPerfect blue goo, his brand new \"floor models\" are re-animated and educated at his rural estate away from the ultra modern world. When Dr. Gatsbro has his first potential customer, Kara and Locke are on full display, reciting lines fed to them. Behind the rehearsed smiles Kara is seething. She didn't ask for this and wants to run away. Locke agrees to go with her, but reluctantly. When they're immediately tracked and beaten up Locke realizes how naive he's been about Gatsbro. He and Kara get separated in the chase but have one destination: to find Jenna Fox in California. She died in the same car accident with Kara and Locke but was brought back to life by her scientist father shortly afterward: no centuries locked in a box, slowly going insane. Kara blames Jena for her years of suffering, and Locke's worried about what she'll do to Jenna if she gets there first. Kara can't get to Jenna first.
Is It Any Good?
THE FOX INHERITANCE will grab readers just the way The Adoration of Jenna Fox did. The author beautifully blends the complexities of teen love, friendship, and tragedy with even more complex ethical questions: When are we not human anymore? What sacrifices will humans make for semi-immortality? Is that what medical science is ultimately for? Plus, thanks to Kara's erratic behavior, there's a palpable suspense that drives the book. It keeps readers guessing what she's really capable of.
This sequel has a couple small weaknesses. One is the narrator, Locke. He may be loyal and torn between his love of his two friends, but he's not nearly as interesting as Kara and Jenna. And then there's the futuristic setting -- also not nearly as interesting as it could be. Descriptions are short and lack that expected sense of wonder and awe. It's 260 years in the future. If you can make people filled with blue goo, then the cities ought to provoke just as much amazement.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ethics of it all: reanimating humans, storing files of human minds, keeping people as "floor models" to sell a product. Do you think Jenna finds her new life worth it? What about Locke?
How have the three friends changed since the accident? Who are they now? Do you think any of them will remain friends? What is it about their friendship that has endured?
Why is the bot Dot so excited to be an "escapee"? What does she see about the world that Locke doesn't at first?
Book Details
- Author: Mary E. Pearson
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Macmillan
- Publication date: August 30, 2011
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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