Reviewed by Ms. Merrigan
Jaiden Beale is a very fortunate 14-year-old: He has a flat-screen television, nice laptop, and all the DVD's and video games he can desire. He has just been assigned by his teacher to complete a science project with the girl of his dreams, and she seems just as excited by the idea of coming over to his house to begin the project as he is.
The only problem is that Jaiden doesn't have a house to come to; he has an office. He has not parents, only a parent corporation that legally adopted him and has "managed" his upbringing since his parents were killed in an explosion resulting from a faulty valve produced by that same corporation. Jaiden has a department manager and a team of executives that hold weekly meetings to determine everything about his life, from whether he gets to attend public school to what video games he is allowed to play. And lately, they are concerned about his social development, specifically his lack of dates.
But Jaiden has bigger problems than that. His favorite corporate cafeteria cook has been fired, and the parent corporation has been accused of polluting local streams. Jaiden must use his insider status in the company to find out the truth, and he begins to question whether his "parent corporation" actually has his best interests at heart.
Teen, Inc. is a funny modern take on the classic orphan story. Jaiden's insights into corporate ethics are amusing and enlightening, and his struggles to shrug off his trademark parodies the real commercial branding that all American teens must battle. My only criticism of this otherwise enjoyable novel is the ending. The showdown between Jaiden and the evil executive falls into the Scooby Doo trap when the bad guy spills all ("If it weren't for those nosy kids...").
Recommended 7th grade and up.
No comments:
Post a Comment