This is one of my absolute favorite dystopian novels, ever since my
childhood. I adore how Farmer developed science fiction themes and analyzed the ethics of cloning, personhood, organ harvesting, and the slave and drug trades. I think Farmer handled it extremely tactfully for a middle grade audience. The beginning was a bit slow but I don’t think it was detrimental to the development of the characters or the plot. The characters were complex, the introduction of complex social and scientific topics in a way middle schoolers could understand was masterful, and it’s a book I could go back to over and over again