The Thousandth Floor

In a confident debut, McGee creates a fascinating 22nd-century world set in a single thousand-floor mega-tower that houses all of Manhattan. Centering on the genetically flawless Avery Fuller, 16, who lives on the top floor and has everything a wealthy girl could want or need, McGee shifts smoothly among the intersecting stories of a handful of teens. Avery is always the most beautiful girl in the room, much to the chagrin of her best friend Leda, who is hiding a serious drug addiction. Meanwhile, Eris’s perfect life crumbles when she learns that her father is not her biological father and, therefore, she and her mother are penniless. Rylin, an orphan, takes a job as a maid for spoiled Cord Anderton, only to begin an uncertain courtship. Watt, a computer genius, creates an illegal “quant” named Nadia that helps him navigate the social structure of the tower. Replete with romance, jealousy, and enticing future fashions and tech, McGee’s story delivers more than enough drama and excitement to hook readers and leave them anticipating the next book in the trilogy. Ages 13–up. Agency: Alloy Entertainment. (Aug.)