True Life in Uncanny Valley

Everyone wants to know what famous tech magnate Hugo Harrison’s next invention will be. That is, except for rising high school senior Eleanor Diamond, who’s only interested in Hugo’s personal life; he is her father, after all, even if he did abandon her, her sister, and her mother. Then she learns that Hugo’s wife, Aurora, is looking for a live-in summer nanny for Arlo, Hugo’s young son and Eleanor’s half brother. Despite all the lying it entails, Eleanor applies for—and gets—the gig, hoping to use it to uncover more about the family she never knew and the life she never had. All the while, Eleanor must navigate a sea of contradictions regarding her upbringing and her father’s legacy. Surrounded by simulacra and juggling a web of lies and half-truths, Eleanor is a wholly believable protagonist whose personal challenges add depth and help propel the plot of this hopeful and timely story. Caletti (Plan A) combines a coming-of-age narrative with a buoyant summer romance and a technological mystery to craft an intriguing novel about figuring out one’s place in the world. Eleanor and the Harrisons cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Mar.)