UNWIND, by Neal Shusterman

Does unwind = undead?

One cool thing about Neal Shusterman is that he writes so many different kinds of books – and does a great job at all of them!  No surprise that he’s one of Wester’s top two authors.  In UNWIND, Shusterman takes on a creepy, edgy subject that asks how much a human life is worth.  When does it start?  How should it end?

Connor, Risa, and Lev are all scheduled to be unwound.  In their world, this happens to unwanted teens - their body parts and pieces are “harvested” to help others.  The myth is that their soul continues undisturbed – a story that Lev, who’s going to be “tithed” for religious reasons, totally buys into.  Connor is a troublemaker whose parents are tired of dealing with him.  Risa is an orphan – and the orphanage needs to cut costs.

The kids meet as Connor tries to make a getaway, and he pulls both Lev and Risa into life on the run.  Where they end up, and what happens to each one, is a cool story that makes you think at the same time.  And keep an eye out for what happens to Roland … that’s the creepiest thing of all.