Anomaly

McGee (Right Where I Belong) pitches readers into a dystopian future in which a logical and rigid state sustains the remnants of humanity after nuclear war has devastated the surface world. The Ten Scientists who are the de facto rulers of the State have attempted to weed out emotion from the survivors. Thalli, a musician, manages to conceal her emotions and curiosity until she is asked to perform a Bach piece, whereby her abnormality is revealed. Her incarceration and looming execution spark a dangerous partnership with a childhood friend–turned-Scientist; raise questions about the nature of existence, suffering, and the afterlife; and suggest a Designer more powerful than the Scientists. Though Thalli’s “conversion” after learning of the Designer is underdeveloped, McGee successfully asks readers to consider both what it means to act (or not act) on human emotions and the role such emotions play in relationships with God. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jenni Burke, D.C. Jacobson & Associates. (July)■