Rush

Adult author Silver (Body of Sin) makes her YA debut with a fast-paced story, first in The Game series, in which specially selected teens wage a secret war against invading aliens. Junior Miki Jones is the latest recruit, plucked from her normal existence to fight aliens hiding among humanity and help prepare the world for a full-scale incursion. It’s on-the-job training, laid out in the framework of a giant game, with points given for various objectives and deducted for certain infractions. She quickly develops a love-hate relationship with her taciturn team leader, Jackson Tate, and the more Miki learns about the “game” she’s caught up in, the higher the stakes become. Silver expertly intertwines Miki’s real life and missions, providing an exciting contrast as things get increasingly complicated. The gradual unveiling of answers, with Miki relentlessly pressing her teammates for information, occasionally gets frustrating and repetitive, but the payoff—as Silver reveals the true extent of the premise and its implications—is worth it. The result is a science fiction adventure that’ll leave fans demanding the next installment. Ages 14–up. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (June)