Solstice

Gr 7 Up—Solstice is a unique, well-blended mix of dystopian fiction, romance, mythology, and mystery that will appeal to a wide audience. In the near future, a Global Heating Crisis has created heat bubbles that cover cities all over the world, resulting in limited resources and high crime outside of man-made protective domes. Teen Piper Snow (who has lived her entire life amid the mysterious global drought) and her mother live in the largest greenhouse in Austin, Texas, and are able to provide fresh produce due to their uncanny abilities to nurture plants. In most ways, Piper's life is like that of most of her friends—she thinks about boys, getting a tattoo, and how she will be able to convince her overprotective mother to let her go away to college. Piper's 18th birthday brings with it the arrival of two mysterious hot guys, Shayne and Reese; a gift from an anonymous giver; and news that her father (whom she's never met) has caught up with her and her mother. As unusual events continue, hints of who Piper really is begin to unfold and her role in the climate change becomes apparent. The story's many twists and details about the Underworld and its denizens make Solstice a real page-turner that is hard to put down.—Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO