The Q

Two teenagers living on opposite sides of a quarantine zone struggle to survive in this thrilling dystopian adventure by Tintera (the All These Monsters series), set in Austin, Tex. When a mysterious virus emerged 20 years ago, the U.S. government built the Q, a walled, city-size quarantine zone for the infected. Now, the Q is divided into two constantly feuding factions stationed in the north and south. Maisie Rojas, 18, who was born in quarantine, struggles to fill the power vacuum left behind after the death of her father, the leader of the southern gang. Conflict begins anew when Lennon Pierce, 19 and the son of a U.S. presidential candidate, is kidnapped and air-dropped into the Q. Lennon has 72 hours to escape before risking infection, and the only exit is in the middle of the opposing gang’s territory; Maisie, motivated by her own need to obtain urgent medical supplies from the north, agrees to help him traverse the hostile terrain. Tintera evokes her Austin hometown to great effect, complete with signage reading “KEEP THE Q WEIRD,” grounding this wildly inventive, cinematic read rooted in a near-future, post-pandemic world that sharply echoes contemporary society. Maisie is of British and Mexican descent; Lennon is white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong Literary. (Nov.)