In a world where anti-biotics no longer work, everyone is living in a time where children spend the first fourteen years of their lives at home, 'live-learning' whilst their bodies build up the immune system they need. After that, they head to boarding school to continue their education. As Jess heads to school for the first time, she is conscious that she is leaving her sister, Chloe, at home with her sickness getting worse, and her parents struggling to pay for her medication which seems to be getting more expensive every time they order it. Once at school, Jess decides to use her coding expertise to try to help her family, but when things don't quite go to plan, can she find a way to put everything right before it's too late?
Live-learning is something none of us had considered before 2019 and is now a phrase children and educators (as well as parents) are all too familiar with. It's something that readers will be able to picture and empathise with (not being able to mix with other children; only communicating with friends through technology) and provides a way for the reader to connect with Jess from the very first page. Then, I am sure, many will be able to relate to her first few days at school: the nervousness about making friends and getting used to new routines - it's something every child has experienced, and some may have felt on their return to school after either (or both) of the lockdowns. Ele has managed to take our current experiences and weave them into a stunning novel that will have you gripped.
Jess has a hidden strength that I think she sometimes doubts in herself. She wants to go to school and just blend in but her talents are desperate to shine: both in her musical ability as well as her computing prowess. Her ability, whether it be with her violin or her port-com, mean that she doesn't feel she can just stand by and watch the big tech companies bring down her family. Being separated from her family makes her feel isolated, alone and desperate - she feels she has no other option but to act.
Set in a world where technology reigns and everything, and everyone, relies on their port-coms and their credits, Fake is a book that it is set in a dystopian world, but feels like a world that could be eerily real. If the past two years have shown us anything, it's that we can live in a largely virtual world where school can run online and we can get anything we need at the click of a button - but is that what we want? Jess and her family show us what we already know: human contact is essential and nothing beats family, friendship and human company.
With Fake, Ele has shown us again that she is a talented writer who can turn her hand to very different themes in her novels: from refugees fleeing the country of their birth; children lost in India; environmental issues in the Arctic and now tech giants dominating the world; her books pack a punch and are rooted in life issues that are relevant to children and adults alike.
Fake is a compelling and thought-provoking book that already has a list of children at school waiting to read it.
Publishing in May, I can highly advise pre-ordering it today.
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