Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Have you ever wondered what an author looks like? Well, here's a picture of Neil Shusterman, who has written a couple of books that made this year's Lone Star Book List. I have to tell you, he may look like a normal person, but he has some very, very scary stuff living in his head. You might ask how I know that.....

Well, let me tell you about Unwind. It's set in the future, in the United States and in a time where abortion has been totally outlawed. As an alternative, parents can made the decision to have their children "unwound" anytime before they are 18. The novel begins with Connor, a 16 year old not known for keeping his temper, and his discovery that his parents have booked a cruise for 3 after Thanksgiving. Sounds cool, right? Yes, unless they're not planning on taking Connor because they've signed the papers to have him unwound. Then there's Risa, a ward of the state, who doesn't perform flawlessly at a piano concert, and learns that her mistakes will cost her her life. And then there's Lev, who has known for years that he was destined for unwinding. As the 10th child in the family, he's been designated as a tithe.

So these three characters hook up in a really exciting beginning and the book just steam-rolls ahead. It's really hard to put down, will give you tons of things to think about, and will, I promise, creep you out. Consider yourself warned.....