Perfect Summer

DYSTOPIAN:  Welcome to the future where all of humankind is hung up on the idea of being flawless. The entire civilization is captivated by beauty and perfection, including 15 year old Morgan.  She covets everything about her beautiful best friend Summer.  Morgan secretly wishes she was mega-cool and mega-rich, but thanks her lucky stars she shares a special friendship with Summer. Josh, Morgan's younger brother, has Down's Syndrome, and her family has been fighting the Ministry so they won't place him in a learning facility to keep him out of sight from the general public. Apparently, Josh's disability is a crime.  When he's suddenly kidnapped, Morgan and Summer poke their noses into a very dangerous operation to save him.

King's debut YA novel is an emotional story which deals with a contemporary issue most teens and adults face almost every day. This novel, containing a futuristic plot, highlights the pursuit of perfection and the extreme lengths to which one will go to achieve it. A plethora of interesting characters set the stage where the author lets her imagination run wild, but unfortunately most readers won't be along for the ride. Most sci-fi fans will agree the storyline comes to a screeching halt when Josh is abducted. It morphs into a completely different book which makes us forget why we started it in the first place: to accept the fact that beauty IS only skin deep.

Jaime A. Geraldi