Written by Jesse Karp
Published by Harcourt, 2011
ISBN 9780547553115

Many of us have had that nightmare that we wake up after a deep sleep only to find that no one knows us anymore. That our life has been wiped off all databases and our story has been re-written. It has been the stuff of many films and TV series and now author Jesse Karp gives that theme a new twist in her novel, Those That Wake.

When hope is gone, does that change reality? When we become so concerned with our technological lives, filtering our daily interactions through a cell phone or computer, do we fail to see those around us? Laura is shocked when she discovers that her parents no longer know her. After Mal’s brother disappears and he starts to investigate, his life begins to also slip away. A non-descript teacher, minding his own business, stumbles across something he is not meant to see and his existence is no longer required.

Those That Wake has a bit of slow start, but before long it sucks you in and becomes one of those novels that keep you up at night, so eager are you to see what happens next. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games series, this is definitely a book for you.

—Heidi Håvan Grosch, educator and children’s literature enthusiast