
Reach for this book when your child starts asking questions about the hidden costs of technology or feeling the social pressure of always being connected. Set in a near-future where kids can mesh their brains directly to the multiweb, the story follows Hana as she uncovers a conspiracy involving a powerful tech corporation and a mysterious illness affecting her peers. It explores critical themes of corporate ethics, the value of physical connection, and the courage to challenge a system that everyone else accepts. This fast-paced mystery is ideal for middle grade readers who enjoy high-stakes adventure and are beginning to navigate the complexities of our own digital world. It offers a perfect bridge for discussing digital citizenship and the importance of critical thinking without being preachy.
Your experience helps other parents find the right book.
Sign in to write a reviewThe 'glitching' and illness affecting the meshed kids can be slightly unsettling.
Hana must decide whether to follow the law or do what is right to save her friends.
The book deals with corporate malpractice and medical ethics in a direct but age-appropriate way. It also touches on family secrets and the feeling of being an outsider within one's own community. The resolution is hopeful, emphasizing collective action and individual agency against large, seemingly invincible systems.
An 11-year-old who feels overwhelmed by social media or the pressure to have the latest gadgets, but who also loves a good gadget-filled spy thriller.
Parents should be aware of scenes involving medical peril and characters being controlled via their neural implants. It can be read cold, but discussing the real-world parallels to data privacy is beneficial. A parent might choose this after hearing their child say, 'Everyone else has this app/phone/game, why can't I?' or after noticing their child becoming increasingly distracted by screen time.
Younger readers (age 8-9) will focus on the cool gadgets and the 'kids vs. adults' adventure. Older readers (11-12) will better grasp the nuances of the corporate critique and the ethical dilemmas of transhumanism.
Unlike many sci-fi stories that focus solely on the 'cool factor' of the future, Liu roots this story in Chinese heritage and a grounded critique of how technology can disconnect us from nature and our own bodies.
In a futuristic setting, Hana Hsu is eager to receive her mesh, a neural implant connecting her to the multiweb. However, she begins to notice her classmates are falling into strange comas. Teaming up with her scientist grandmother and a group of underground hackers known as the Ghost Crab Nation, Hana must navigate a world of corporate greed and technological surveillance to save her friends and her city.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.