The Hive by Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden, 413 pages. KCP Loft (Kids Can Press), 2019. $18.
Language: R (182 swears, 32 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The Hive can be anyone anywhere at any given time; they watch your social media accounts and hold you accountable for what you say and do online. 17yo Cassie supports Hive justice and joins a couple of mobs punishing others. But when she is condemned and runs from the mob because a mean joke went viral, Cassie finds that the system is more flawed than she can take on by herself.
When I started reading, I thought the main conflict would be internal about whether or not Cassie believed in and would support the Hive. However, things quickly took a turn for more thrilling when Cassie started being tracked by Hive mobs for punishment. The futuristic world that Cassie lives in is created by trying to find a solution for online bullying. I love the creative solutions that Lyga and Baden play with, even if this doesn’t look like the best option for us. The mature content rating is for drug and alcohol use, nudity, and mentions of rape; the violence rating is for blood and gore as well as gun use.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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