The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix - ADVISABLE

Haddix, Margaret Peterson The Always War, 197 p. Simon and Schuster, 2011.  Content: G.  Tessa’s homeland has always been at war with their neighbors.  Except for a chosen few, everyone lives in gray, depressing poverty.  When her neighbor and childhood friend Gideon refuses his reward for killing the enemy, Tessa tries to find out what is wrong and together the two are on a rogue airplane headed straight for enemy territory where they uncover a major mystery – and find themselves in a very different kind of danger.   

As war becomes fought more and more by computer operated drones, Haddix, brings out the future possibilities like a slap in the face.  Like Skurzynski’s Virtual War before it, the Always War is for a new generation of kids who need to think about the implications.  Or maybe just enjoy a really interesting story.  EL, MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher