The Cage

Gr 9 Up—When Cora wakes up in the middle of a desert, the last thing she can remember is driving to a ski resort with her brother. She comes across five other teenagers in this unfamiliar world, and they learn that they have been selected by highly intelligent aliens as study subjects; they are watched and controlled at all times. Each captive has been paired with another—with the charge to procreate within 21 days or face a fate worse than captivity. Cora can't forget home, and her constant search for an escape puts her at odds with the rest of the group, who begin to see her as a threat to their survival. The originality of the setting and its diverse cast of characters make the story compelling at the beginning, but as the book continues, the characters stagnate and become predictable. The romantic interest Cora has for Cassian, a 7-foot-tall, metallic-skinned alien, seems unlikely, but drives the plot and leads to the twist at the end.