Customer Reviews

All Good Children

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. This was a great book, well written and engaging, a little scary too. There was only one major flaw with the story that kept me from absolutely loving this book.

Max, his sister, and his mother live together in Middleton. Middleton is supposedly one of the few cities left where humanity is doing pretty well. When Max and his family come back from a funeral in Atlanta, Max notices something strange about Ally's classmates. Ally's classmates don't play, they don't laugh, they are like perfect little robots. Then Max finds out about a vaccination initiative in the school system. The children are being given vaccines that make them easier to teach; they are less likely to question things and obey everything. For now Max and his sister are safe, but it won't be long until the vaccines are given to older kids as well. Then Max and his family will have to make a choice; stay and fight, be vaccinated, or flee.

Max is a fun character. He is super smart but also a prankster and kind of obnoxious. He loves his family though, and despite all the trouble he gets in to, you can really tell. His little sister, Ally, is adorable and also a lot of fun. His mother is a strong woman but is caught between protecting her family by keeping her job and protecting her family by going against the system.

The story is easy to read and very well written, the plot was engaging and the tension was constantly building as more and more kids are vaccinated and zombiefied. It was a hard book to put down and really drew me in.

Parts of this story are very creepy; both from a kid's point of view and from a parent's point of view. The parents aren't given a choice; the vaccination is mandatory (much like most current day vaccinations) but without any science to back them up. When kids have bad reactions to the vaccination it is brushed off and ignored. When Max's mom tries to speak out against the vaccinations it is implied that she is mentally unfit to take care of her children and that if she continues to be a problem they will be taken away from her. As I said very subtly creepy and terrifying.

The book brings up a lot of issues about race (Max and his family are black), freedom of speech, and free will. There is lots to ponder and think about here.

I have one absolutely huge problem with this book that made the story very hard for me to accept. While there are a couple mummers of adults being upset by the vaccinations (one teacher bemoans the lack of creativity in his new zombified class, and Max's mom speaks out against it during an info session at school) the vast majority of adults seem pleased by it. I find this incredibly hard to believe. Knowing how protective parents are of their kids, I can not believe there isn't more retaliation. I mean happy laughing young children are turned into blank-faced robots. Seriously? Is any parent going to tolerate that?

Throughout the book most of the adults are happy that their children are so much easier to handle and take so much less energy to deal with. Really? I understand this is aimed at a middle grade crowd, but how many parents out there would accept their children being turned into robots...and not only accept it but be happy about it? I just can't accept this premise for the story; especially in the given society where people are doing fairly well and not desperately trying to eke out a living.

Another minor problem I had with this book was another thing I had trouble finding believable. How could you get a drug that would react with the majority of kids in such a way that it would make them all talk and act the same? All the kids in this book parrot each other after being vaccinated and are eerily the same. I understand a drug making kids more open to suggestions; but having them all act the same and like robots because of a drug is a bit of a stretch.

So far one major flaw, why are the parents/adults so accepting of their kids being brainwashed? Especially when it occurs in such and abrupt way over such a small amount of time. If you can suspend your disbelief of this major assumption, then this is a great book. It wraps up nicely, there could be a sequel to it, but most things are concluded well...no cliffhangers or anything.

Overall a fascinating idea and world. It is super creepy to consider schools requiring parents to zombify/vaccinate their children. I enjoyed the characters, the book was well written, and the premise was interesting. I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to buy into the fact that normal parents would applaud their children having their personalities and creative taken away; there would be more of an uproar. I also had trouble believing that a drug could make all children act and talk exactly the same way. So, while this was well-written and interesting I had a lot of trouble buying into the premise of the story. Still it was a great read; I would recommend for fans of dystopian stories.

In the not-too-distant future, rebellious teen Max Connors lives in the city of New Middleton, one of the many planned communities designed to ensure prosperity and happiness for its residents. Succeeding in New Middleton, however, depends on a lot of factors: wealth, status, and genetic makeup. Children born without any kind of genetic treatment are looked down upon; those of higher status having been created using the best embryos provided by their parents. After his father's death, Max, his mother and his six-year-old sister, Ally, left their large New Middleton mansion for an apartment. Although their prestige has gone down, Max and Ally are still lucky enough to attend academic school, something their mom works hard to pay for, that will ensure their future success in the working world. Although he has always been more interested in painting and hanging out with his friends than in his schoolwork, Max becomes suspicious when he notices the children at Ally's school behaving strangely. Instead of running around like most six-year-olds, Ally's classmates are rigid, standing in straight lines, following orders and speaking in short, rehearsed sounding phrases. As the weeks pass, this behavior seems to travel upward by grade level, and Max eventually realizes that a new educational program called Nesting is causing his classmates to be turned into complacent drones, devoid of initiative or feeling. Max's mother manages to prevent Max or Ally from receiving the initial treatment, but how long can the Connors family pretend to be normal in a world where standing out has become a crime?

Although it contains some interesting ideas, All Good Children, unfortunately, is not intriguing enough to shine in the sea of dystopian literature available for teens. The concept of conformity is one often explored in young adult novels. Many dystopian stories toy with varying degrees of forced complacency, and All Good Children engages in this as well. The Nesting concept is, arguably, the most interesting part of the novel when viewed as an allegory for the state of education in America and its reliance on things like standardized testing, etc. Nesting is described as making children easy to educate because they are all the same. Class sizes can be increased to 50 students per teacher, grades improve, and everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that this allegory was the author's goal in writing this novel for a young adult audience. When viewed simply as a dystopian novel, All Good Children is lacking in terms of pacing, character development, and overall execution. Parts of the plot were completely unbelievable as well, making the story too far-fetched to be relatable. If the author's goal was to make a statement about education in the present day, this is not evident enough to be effective. Overall, All Good Children is a novel with a lot of promise that, ultimately, falls flat.

I had high hopes for this novel, but, sadly, found myself disappointed. The concept of Nesting was interesting, but not enough to keep my attention, let alone that of a teen or tween reader. In terms of dystopian novels that feature conformity as a main topic, there are many better options available. I think that the author has some good ideas, and hope that her next novel is effective at bringing them to life in an enjoyable way.

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This book deals with another future scenario gone horribly wrong.

Max is a teen who is living in a highly sheltered community. The city is gated and you must have a place to live to get in. He is told how lucky he is to be where he is. The city is full of geriatrics. They are all sent to a nursing home to live out their days in peace and comfort.

Things begin to change when the kids are given vaccines that alters their personality. The teachers and administrators are thrilled and call it nesting. Max and his friends call them zombies. Then it is Max's grades turn to get the vaccine.

This is very interesting. I can't help but think about how for some there is a push to medicate active children so they are more manageable. (Just a thought.)

I take this as a cautionary tale. There is sex talk and repeated use of the "F" word.

In the town of New Middletown things aren't what they seem. The children have undergone "The New Education Support Treatment". Now the kids are obedient. If I can say this, they are too obedient". My husband laughed when I told him I had a few students that could use a little bit of the treatment.. Max comes across as quite rebellious at times. I was reminded (due to my advanced age) of the movie "The Stepford Wives". If you are too young to remember this movie then I would suggest you look it up. In this book there is never any doubt how much Max loves his family and the length he will go to just to protect them. When his mom is threatened with the removal of her kids, major decisions must be made. It was scar to see the parallel between the government control on schools, education, and families in the book and that of our very own society today.

I would recommend this book to all dystopian lovers. I think this could hold its own in a competition with some of the most popular dystopian novels today.

Catherine Austen has created a dystopian community that is frighteningly imaginable. As all good dystopian novels do, All Good Children reflects on themes that are relevant in our own society and add a level of clarity or focus that makes us re-examine how we look at something: in this case, the role of creativity and the individual in an education system that values the needs of the adult society more than the needs of the children.

Austen's characters are authentic and fully formed; the plot is riveting; the analogies and metaphors are clear; and the message is both heart-breaking and hopeful.

At the beginning, I was a bit worried about where the book was going - how could the parents and teachers be so overwhelmingly in favour of allowing their children to become "zombified"? But Austen carefully constructs a society that is so ruled by fear and uncertainty, that it is not too big a stretch to imagine a parent's desire to play it safe and do "what's best" for their children's future and for themselves. And we discover that resistance is more widespread than we originally thought.

At a time when creativity, the arts, and libraries are under enormous political and financial pressure; when the role of the school seems increasingly to be that of the "great homogenizer,"; when protesting is being cast as trouble-making and fear is used increasingly as a political tactic, All Good Children is a must-read for both adults and teens.

Can you imagine? A world where creativity is frowned upon and everyone is expected to simply line up, take their assignment and live life as they are told? Nah...never happen...right? I wouldn't be so sure. The world introduced by Ms. Austen isn't so far fetched. I mean, there are advantages to what they were trying to introduce....a more manageable society with potentially less crime and people living up to their supposed potentials. Not so bad.....well, except for that "supposed" part. I mean, whose to say what anyone is truly capable of achieving, good or bad, throughout the course of their natural life....but I for one would rather live in a world that the option to find out exists, as would Max.

Max is not your typical "hero" in any sense of the word. He is simply a young man trying to find himself that expresses his frustrations and beliefs through his creative side, for better or worse. In this society, art is viewed more as a "worse". The freedom of expression that lies within its unframed borders is a scary prospect to the powers that be. I mean, if you're going to create a robot like civilization, you can't very well have people thinking for themselves....it'd never work; hence the battle begins for both our free will and our very lives.

The storyline here is not merely that of our wills or freedom of speech though....it also has undercurrents of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. It's amazing how such a forward thinking group of people can have such backwards thoughts about human kind as a whole....a fact which is addressed rather tactfully as events progress. Over half of the population can't read or write....how scary is that? Again though, how far is it from the truth depending on where you look today? It's not all doom and gloom though as the author injects a bit of real life humor into the story with the personalities given to each character as well as how they act out from time to time.

In short, a fictional look at a reality that may not be so far away with the possible repercussions we could face should the same steps of "progress" be taken. It's enjoyable from a make believe stand point, but also gives you something to really think about. We are so dependent on technology as a civilization and expect things to go just so....how much of a leap is it really to a time when we dictate the path that others must follow in their lives for the sake of smooth sailing?

(Full review can be seen on my blog site as listed in my profile. Book was received via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.)

Wow I did not know what to expect going into this story but was completely blown away with this book. Ok so I admit that through parts of it I was wondering where the story may be leading, the side characters became a little flat for me. But after finishing the story I realized that of course when people are being drugged to "behave" that of course they are going to become flat characters. Once this realization hit and I looked back over the story, color me impressed! I really enjoyed the idea, I loved the characters and/or what the characters ended up representing.

For some reason my favorite part of the story was very close to the beginning when Max is explaining how due to a contamination in a town how the birth defects rose. The outcome of those defects truly sparked a lot of questions and interests inside of me. I found it facinating how all children are based on certain factors, like how well bred they were because of how rich the parents were. Ok ok I know that sounds like it could be set in todays world, but it's completely different here, a whole new level. I found it very interesting that the term "recall" was used for one of the lowest grades of people.

Altogether a fascinating twist on people, life, our world and interactions with each other. It was a fantastic mix of Science Fiction and Dystopian. It brought up several of the same feelings and ideas in me that Divergent by Veronica Roth did.

Max, Ally and his mother live in a city called Middleton. Middleton is one of the few places left in the US with a decent school system, safe streets, healthy people, and little crime. But the administrators of Middleton think it could be even better. What if they found a way to get rid of misbehavior in children. Now, we're not talking about just the big ones like arson and fighting, but even the little ones, like giggling in class and expressing an opinion. As this is slowly taking effect on the children of all ages, few seem to speak out against it. Max's mother is one of those few and they begin to hatch a plan to escape from the city.

While, our main character is Max, I fell in love with his little sister Ally. Not the brightest in the bunch, she makes up for it in pure personality. Max, a fantastic graffiti artist, seems to be going through a fairly typical teenage angst stage that didn't seem overly original. The supporting characters tended to remain fairly flat throughout the book until they were effected by the new behavior "cure". Then they just turned into what Max calls zombies....a very appropriate name.

The plot centers around Max and his family and a few of his friends, especially his best friend Dallas, and their lives as they make plans to escape without being zombified. The plan they hatch is intricate and simple at the same time and keeps the story moving as we watch the town slowly become more and more suspicious of the family. There were times when the story seemed to drag a little, but perhaps that was done on purpose to show you how hard it was for the family to make it through. As a concept the story was amazing.

3.5/5

All Good Children is a great book. The world that Austen has created really is a whole lot like ours could be in, oh, 50 years (or less). The majority of the population is desperately poor and living in cars they cannot afford to fuel. The (what we now call) middle class minority works in some capacity with the booming elder care industry. Everyone has an RIG that connects them constantly to entertainment, work, communication, whatever (ie, it's what iPad aspires to be). A chemical spill has created a whole region's worth of people born with physical deformities...that compete on a reality TV show. The cities are dangerous places, and everyone has moved to gated communities (actual communities rather than housing developments) for their own safety. That they've given up a whole host of civil liberties in exchange for that safety bothers almost none of them. They even give up the right to know what vaccinations are being administered in their children's schools and why their children suddenly have no discernible personalities. It's cool though, because they're just so darn well-behaved.

Max is not well-behaved. He never has been, and if he has anything to do with it, he never will be. He, along with his best friend Dallas, struggle to maintain their own thoughts and personalities while pretending to be perfectly "good children." Their struggle was awful, but their friendship was great.

The fact that Max's mom is Black and his father was white is not a constant issue, but it is an important one. In their own community, it supposed to be a non-issue, but outside is another story. Without the visual aid of their father, Max's mom is always eyed with suspicion while traveling with Max and his sister Ally.

Though it is published by Orca, it is not technically a hi-lo (high interest, low reading level). It's appropriate in both areas of measurement for the 12 and up set. It is, however, about a couple high school seniors and could be used as reading material for the same. I think it will be great for reluctant readers and dystopian lovers alike.

Book source: ARC provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program