How would you feel if your parents could “unwind” you? In the thrilling sci-fi novel Unwind, Connor and Risa do their best to keep from being “unwound,” or having their organs distributed to people who need them. Neal Shusterman describes their struggle for survival in a futuristic United States, in a time after the ­Second Civil War was fought over the rights of life.

Connor gets in too many fights and is nicknamed the Akron AWOL for his reckless behavior in attempting to avoid being unwound. Risa doesn't have enough musical talent to escape being sent to a Harvest Camp to be unwound. When the two meet, they run away and their adventure takes them to a school, an antiques shop, and an airplane graveyard. They encounter many new faces along the way, including a baby, a bully named Roland, an admiral from the Second Civil War, and an old woman named Sonia. This exciting book will have you on the edge of your seat!

As I read, I realized how lonely Connor and Risa must have felt. They couldn't trust anyone, even their own parents. Shusterman does a great job conveying the emotions of the characters as they try to survive until their eighteenth birthday. I'm not usually a sci-fi reader, but I couldn't put this one down!