Fake

Eli Fountain is able to weave words so wonderfully that you cannot help but be drawn into the world she has created and Fake is no exception.
The reality of society shifting online is not misplaced. We have seen the Covid pandemic alter the way we, as humans live, and so the concept of tech companies dominating life is not as fictional as we might think nor is the fear of antibiotic resistance as this is a reality that humans will have to face one day.
I love that Eli Fountain does not shy away from the issues she writes about but rather enables readers of all ages to absorb, to wonder and to ask questions.
In Fake, we meet Jess. For the first time, she is attending school, something she has dreamed of for years. However things don't work out as planned and people are not what they seem. In a world where you exist more online than in reality, there is a real possibility that you can disappear. This is a page turner and a book that will not be resting on library shelves. A triumphant 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Children's for this e-arc.

Ok.. I have to admit that Ele Fountain has become my favourite older children’s YA writer in recent years- stories that are contemporary and diverse in content, Fake takes us beyond the world of a pandemic to a future where home learning is the norm and big pharma/ technology companies control everyone’s lives and how money is spent. Jess is a hacker and is sent to a school where children can actually learn together . She has the technology to stay in contact with her family but with a younger sister who is I’ll, Jess attempts to hack into the system which controls the price of medicine. She is confronted with a system that can delete people - their online identity and money.- her family. She needs to save them and her sick sister . With a fast moving plot Ele Fountain has created another page turner that I’ll certainly recommend to teaching colleagues, learners and enthusiastic readers. Another original winner that makes you consider where is humanity heading - very much like previous books focusing on climate change, poverty and refugees.

It's HERE! The much-anticipated, exciting new story from Ele Fountain. Brought to us by Pushkin Press, with another fantastic, eye-catching cover by Thy Bui.

Can you imagine actually going to school for the first time when you're 14 years old? Jess had grown up learning at home, where they grew their own veg & mum sold their honey. School classes were entirely online. Everything involved connectivity & being surrounded by technology - drone deliveries, screens in rooms & on people's wrists. Tech' everywhere!

Jess is a keen programmer & excellent coder. Her knowledge will be tested but there's so much else to think about.

How can she help her family without knowing the facts or who to trust?

Sometimes the overlap of real & virtual life can be a tricky area & people can hide behind online identities, but Jess has a secret skill that might be VERY useful.

Packing her clothes in a chunky wooden trunk that's been in the family for many years, Jess is excited about school. She will miss her family & worries about her sister, Chloe, who isn't well.

It's a huge step into the unknown, away from everyone she loves. New, real-life friends are such a novelty & now Jess can explore one of her loves, writing music, with an enthusiastic, encouraging teacher who spots her talent.

The old trunk holds a mystery but Jess has her own secret too.

You'll want to jump straight into this adventure to see if Jess has the problem-solving skills to triumph over corporate greed & help her sister before it's too late.

Will you figure out who JP is? Surrounded by high-tech, hologram animals & study 'books', life is so different out in the real world.

But sometimes old-style thinking wins the day!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

We are in a world that does not seem so very far away from where we are now. Except - until the age of 14, children are not allowed to socialise, to go to school because their immune systems will not be able to cope with infection. They stay within their family circle and all education is online. But, when they reach 14, then they are sent away to school, returning only for school holidays.

Jess is 14 and is heading to school. She's excited, and nervous, and is hiding a secret. She is a hacker. At school she makes friends, but she also discovers something when she hacks into a pharmaceutical company to try to find out why her sister's medication is becoming more expensive. Her little foray causes trouble not just for her but also for her family and she has to embark on a journey to try to pout things right.

This is a novel with a fascinating premise - a world where there is no cash, where everything is online and the powers that be have the ability just to withdraw everything just by a touch of a button. Not a world I want.

A super read. Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Press for allowing me to read this.

I really enjoyed this book, it was full of mystery and intrigue and I found Jess to be a great protagonist, I really liked her. I found the writing style really easy to read and I liked the storyline which was so interesting and the charcter developement was good also.
If I had one negative it would be that after the tone of the book the whole way through the ending fell flat for me it just seems a bit hurried and slightly disappointing. Overall I enjoyed it but of the ending had worked better it would have been a 5 star read for me.