Teen, Inc

TITLE: Teen, Inc.

AUTHOR: Stefan Petrucha

OVERALL RATING: 4.00/5.00

OK, so, what would you do if a corporation ran your life? Yeah, you might have the most expensive gadgets, a cook, and an entire building you get to call home. But what would you do if you wanted a "normal" life? Wouldn't it get boring after a while?

That's how Jaiden's life is. Fancy gadgets surrounding him, limited access to a huge building he calls "home," and tons of meetings that need to be attended. After all, they do involve him. Who he dates, what he does, and everything in between! OK, so he is finally allowed to attend public school. The only normal part of his life, only because no one there knows that he is the very first child to be raised by a corporation! But that never would of happened if his parents were both killed on the job at the NECorp facility. Everyone says it was a freak accident. They never would of guessed it to happen in a million years!

So, he has a nerdy friend Nate, who is always typing on his up to date gadgets, and a girl he just met because of a biology project. Jenny. But how is he supposed to work on a project without her finding out about his "home?."

After finding out that that one corporation owns many empty houses and other useful things, he plans who is mom is going to be and what house he is going to use for his "real" house. But after an agonizing incident, leaving Jenny screaming bloody murder down the block, and forcing Jaiden to run away, there is no way he is going to return to the corporation, or his "parents."

But adventure un-ravels on his devious run-away. He runs into a group of older kids, hanging outside of a fast food joint. He is curious as to what they are doing. So, he walks slowly with his bike trying not to catch any attention. After all, he is pretty much a famous kid running away.

Some how though, he gets into the mix of a criminal scene, and is convicted as the criminal. But he escapes. He was found near a river and was taken back to the corporation. With only minor injuries that will lead to bigger problems. What scandalous secrets are being hidden in the corporation? Will it effect Jaiden and his friends? Possibly his future?

I had very many mixed feelings about this book. It wasn't what I expected in so many ways. In the beginning, it was pretty much repeating the same issues, and feelings. I understood that he was beginning to dislike where he lived, but there was very little action. But I cannot say the same about the end. It really started to pick up in the middle and the end. I thought there was plenty of entertainment then. I liked how the main character was almost your typical teenager. Wanting to be free, making their own decisions, and so on. But I thought the whole "first kid to be raised by a corporation" was a little too drastic for this kind of book. But yet, it was a totally different and unique plot too. There really isn't anything bad I could say about this action-packed book, other than it need more action in the beginning. (If that makes sense?) I guess I would recommend this book, but it did move some-what slow in the beginning.

TAGS: Corporations, facilities, teenagers, dating, adventure, risks, risk takers, entertaining.