Paige Not Found

by Jen Wilde

An adventure story that examines consent and privacy in a way that books have not had to before this generation where everything is online.

A week ago, if someone had told Paige she’d be stuck in traffic with three total strangers on a mission to stop a global organization from controlling their minds, she would have laughed. But somehow this is real life. She adjusts her noise cancelling headphones, trying to drown out more of the car horns and music blaring from a neighboring sedan. Her fists clench and unclench. Inside her shoes, her toes wiggle, trying to let out some of her nervous energy.

As much as Paige hates the word normal, it’s a pretty good word to describe her life, and the kind of night she was having just before a single email turned her world upside down.

In an effort to better understand and communicate with their autistic daughter, Paige's parents enrolled her in a study without her consent. Without her knowledge they had a chip implanted in her brain that keeps track of her location and brain activity. It can boost the chemicals that affect her mood. Suddenly, Paige isn’t sure who she can trust. Can she even trust her own mind anymore?

Now the company that created her chip is days away from merging with the most popular social network in the world, that has a reputation for selling people’s private information to the highest bidder.

Paige feels betrayed and like she’s been robbed of her free will. But there is one thing she can do. The email includes the names and addresses of the other kids involved in the study. She can track them down and show them what’s been done to them.

Maybe altogether they can put a stop to this merger and figure out how to get their chips removed for good.

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, LGBT, Disability, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Queer, Adventure

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2024

About the author

Jen Wilde (she/they) is the queer, disabled author of QUEENS OF GEEK, THE BRIGHTSIDERS and GOING OFF SCRIPT.

They write unapologetically queer stories about unlikely heroes, awkward romantics and chosen families. Jen’s books have been praised in Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Vulture and Bustle. Their debut, QUEENS OF GEEK, made the 2018 Rainbow Book List and the Amelia Bloomer List.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Jen lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her wife, where she collects books, candles and foster cats. When she isn’t writing, Jen spends her time shouting about queer books on TikTok.

Connect with her online @jenwildebooks or visit her website: jenwildebooks.com.

Reviews

[Jen Wilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously, I’m biased here, but I love this book. Like Paige, I’m autistic, queer, and nonbinary, so her story is very close to my heart. I hope queer and autistic readers feel validated by this story, and I hope all readers enjoy the ride.

[Danika at The Lesbrary]

It's so nice to read a middle grade book with a queer/nonbinary autistic main character! I hope this gets into the hands of the kids who would really benefit from seeing themselves represented.

[Lauren Bayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book was YA, it would have easily been five stars. But it's not, it's middle grade, and herein lies the problem.

The premise of this book is fantastic. Autistic children learning that they unwillingly had chips implanted in their brains, and the data being sold to an evil corporation? An impressive montage of assembling a ragtag group of disabled kids? Accurate depictions of both autistic meltdowns AND autistic joy, with threads of queer representation interspersed? Sounds AMAZING. And much of the plot worked well, particularly the scenes of Paige and Mara finding Kelsey and Marcus.

My main issue was the fact that this was middle grade, but the dialogue and narration did not sound like it was written for or about children. Phrases such as "toxic billionaire" and "without my informed consent" are not ones an eleven year old would use. Nor would they be that salient in listing their identities. I've been fortunate to interact with a wide variety of children, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, through my various jobs. Of course, every child is unique, particularly those who are neurodivergent, but there are certain elements of communication that ring true for almost every verbalizing eleven year old.

I think that Paige could have easily been seventeen years old, and the story would have been a lot stronger. I know Jen Wilde cut their teeth in YA, so that's what they know best, but middle grade is a whole different beast. The dialogue would have made a whole lot more sense coming from a teenager, and I would have focused my review on the inventive plot. Alas, the book is middle grade, so I am reviewing and rating it as middle grade.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hot mess of the writing gets one star, but I will edge it up to applaud the ground it attempts to cover. Having a gang of neurodivergent kids take down a super corporation is a fun premise. I just didn’t buy the authenticity of any of the characters. Broad caricatures spouting agenda-based sound bites.

Popsugar24: #39 - A fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fantastic middle grade about autistic kids being part of an experiment where The Dot gets put into their brains, tracking their vitals and releasing serotonin when it senses the kids are stressed. Paige was seven when The Dot was surgically placed inside her head, and she was told she was getting her tonsils out. She only finds out about The Dot when she sees an email about her on her dad's computer. Then she finds out that The Dot is being sold to a social media company and Paige is desperate to get it out of her brain. She contacts other autistic kids who are part of the study for help. Paige is also queer—most likely nonbinary (Paige doesn't feel like a boy or girl though uses she/her pronouns)—and there's lots of good friend drama and first crushes. I really really enjoyed it and want everyone to read it so they can confront their stereotypes about autistic people.

[Nex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me. As much as I liked the plot, characters, and ideas presented in this book, this book felt like it was trying to appeal to every minority audience possible. I don't mind having autistic, gay, and other minority characters in books, in fact, I support it, and I loved that this book was helping to positively spread autism awareness. However, in this book, the writing comes off as trying to make Paige seem like as much of a victim as possible, and really plays up the 'differences' that make her a victim to everyone else in society. This book could have been a roaring success with its plot and character approach, however, the terrible writing completely ruined this one for me.

[Literary Strawberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the representation of autistic experiences like stimming and meltdowns, and showing both the positives (like the joy of engaging with a special interest) and difficulties (like sensory overload) of being autistic. All that seemed to ring true.

Unfortunately, not much else did. The characters felt more like mouthpieces to teach about autism and disability activism than real people. Autistic and neurotypical characters alike all used just the right language and knew precisely how to articulate how they were feeling and why they did the things they did. When there /was/ miscommunication for conflict reasons it was clarified later in heart-to-hearts where the characters spelled out exactly what they had really been thinking and feeling. (Not saying you should never have those scenes where characters communicate those things to each other, but it just felt like /everything/ was spelled out with no room for nuance or complexity.)

The other thing that pulled me out of the story was that the stakes when they "broke into" the Nucleus headquarters were practically non-existent. I know it's a middle grade novel, and you need to be willing to suspend your disbelief to /some/ extent, but everything about this section was so laughably easy (I spent most of the time going "WHERE ARE THE SECURITY CAMERAS") that there was no real tension. //Every single// worker just happens to be at a big meeting so there's no one to see them walk into the (unlocked, unguarded) labs? Because Kelsey knows how to get around the parental controls on her mom's laptop she's able to effortlessly hack into a high security billionaire's laptop with super secret files?? That one lady scientist sees them and doesn't react at all but just lets them keep doing what they're doing despite having no context for why they're there?? (I get that she was already having some second thoughts about the company, but she doesn't know what they're doing, why isn't her first reaction just "Hey, what are these kids doing here?") And then when she /does/ confront them later she decides to quit her job and help them after talking to them for like five minutes?? And why was she the only one at first to be guarding/keeping track of the captured kids, where on earth were all the security guards at this point? (At the big meeting, I guess???) And while the bad guy was a complete "evil billionaire" caricature, they established no stakes for what he might do if he caught them. They kept /saying/ they were risking so much, but nothing ever happened to make me believe they were actually in danger.

So yeah. I'm grateful that we're getting more representation of autism and other disabilities/neurodivergencies in fiction, especially those written by people who have first-hand experience. I just hope that we'll also start to see an increase in the quality of the stories that carry that representation.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: ableism, autistic meltdown, animal testing, medical experimentation on neurodiverse children

3.5 stars

For some reason, I had it in my head that this was a mystery, but it's really more of an adventure story. I really liked the characters, although I'm not sure Paige was my favourite of the kids. In some ways, I kind of wish this was a split narration between, say, Paige, Kelsey and Mara? I understand why it's not, but I think it could have been a more powerful story with different perspectives.

Anyway. This is an autistic tween who finds out that she had an implant put into her brains by an Elon Musk type tech billionaire who's now selling his company to a social media company. She also finds out that she's not the only one, and decides to seek out the others. The kids team up and want the world to know about the experimental implant before their data is sold to this social media company.

Ultimately, this was perhaps a TOUCH too middle grade for my liking, but I'm also a 41 year old reading middle grade so go ahead and ignore me and my curmudgeonly nonsense.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this down! A fellow human named Paige who’s also Autistic! This story is so compelling and powerful. I got it yesterday and finished it today! Absolutely amazing story.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this debut middle grade #ownvoices story by autistic author, Jen Wilde!!

Part adventure tale, part sci-fi story, the book focuses on 12 year old Paige who is autistic and discovers their parents have enrolled them without consent in an experiment that tracks their movement, monitors their brain chemistry and tries to control their emotions.

Determined to put a stop to the company responsible before a big merger with another company that wants to sell her personal data, Paige tracks down some fellow autistic children in the program and enlists their help.

Full of friendship, action and an important message about bodily autonomy, this was EXCELLENT and oh so timely with great queer (Paige is nonbinary), anxiety and neurodivergence representation!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As always, I feel very guilty when I give a middle grade book 2 stars because I know I'm not the target audience but this just wasn't very good. I liked the idea, an Elon Musk type inventing a microchip that controls autistic kids and then trying to do a merger with what is essentially Facebook. But the writing and characterization were very surface level. Everything happened so quickly and most of the characters were one dimensional.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be read by educators and parents of neurodivergent kids.

[Chimithedawg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fine. I think I was definitely too old for it and the language just seemed very awkward and the story was not completely thought through. I wish the book focused more on the main plot then Paige and Mara's love story because it seemed very unneeded and only served to dilute the original plot more.

[Cynthia Parkhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

During Autism Acceptance Month, April 2024, I am reading Paige Not Found by Jen Wilde (a paperback, from Scholastic, obtained at a recent book fair). It features a protagonist who is autistic and nonbinary, who learns that a chip was planted in her brain without her consent. As a reader and librarian who is autistic and nonbinary, I feel visible through reading a book that features a main character who is so like me. Video review at https://youtu.be/n0fWnuBqZu4

[Emily]

From the rights report: "a debut middle-grade novel that follows Paige as she learns that her mind is under the control of an impulsive billionaire who thinks her autism needs a "cure" and joins forces with the other children involved to shut the experiment down before it's too late—all while exploring her queerness and gender identity."

[Adelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cool! I really enjoyed seeing Paige and the other character's experiences with autism, this book is great for teaching what is important to be an ally. And I LOVED the ending, that was perfect! And I thought the story and idea was really creative (in an awesome way)!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Paige loves to play Realm of Wonders with her best friend Mara, but when her mother catches her playing late at night after her mother gets home from a shift at the hospital, she takes away all of Paige's technology. This is a problem, because Paige has seen a worrisome e mail on her father's computer. Her father is getting reports on her brain activity as well as everything else she is doing, and with Mara's help, she finds out that instead of having her tonsils removed when she was young, her parents had a Dot from Nucleus Nanotech installed in her brain! The tech company is run by Elliot Preston, a tech innovator who also dabbles in space flight. Just when she's starting to wrap her mind around what her parents have done to her, and what they think of her autism, she finds that the company has merged with a social media platform, Homepage, that has a history of selling user data. Will her brain be for sale? The Dot is suppose to her with her autism, delivering serotonin if she is stressed, and monitoring her condition, supposedly helping prevent meltdowns as well. Paige thought her parents understood her, but do they really think she is "broken"? Paige and Mara manage to find other children who have the device, including Kelsey, whose mother is a popular "autism mom" social media presence, Marcus, who is very young and nonverbal but has an older sister, Gabby who is worried about the technology, and Maxwell, an older teen who agreed to the technology and doesn't want to try to attack the company. There are other things going on in Paige's life as well; she comes out to her parents as gay, and is upset when Mara and Kelsey start to be friends. Paige is determined to get to Nucleus' headquarters, however, and manages to get there with Gabby's help when she runs away from a class trip to a museum. The children manage to sneak into the lab undetected and make it to Preston's office to snoop around, when they are caught by Dr. Lisa. Dr. Lisa is upset over the merger of companys, and what that might mean for individual data, and also over the treatment of lab animals and of the children who have the Dot. She agrees to help erase data from Preston's computer. Will Paige and the others who have this intrusive technology be able to go back to their lives unmonitored?
Strengths: This had strong messages about autism acceptance and LGBTQIA+ acceptance; Paige doesn't really want her brain to be changed, and her parents are very supportive when she tells them that she might be like her favorite teacher, Ms. Penny, and her wife, Amy.
Weaknesses: It seemed unlikely that a group of children would be able to sneak into Preston's office without detection. I can suspend disbelief about technology in the brain, but not about that, so maybe younger readers won't have the same problem.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Kuyatt's autism positive Good Different, Lucas' Let the Monster Out, or Lerangis' Max Tilt series and uses teachnology in the same way that Park's Averill Offline does.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked:
A central conflict in the story involves the concept of autism. Some people compare autism to a disease and want to cure it. Others, including Paige, understand it’s part of who they are and they learn to deal with it. It really bothers Paige when her father says he wants her to be normal. She thinks of people wanting to “cure” autism and compares it to dinosaurs going extinct. Some autistic people don’t like to touch others and bright lights and loud noises can be overwhelming. The story includes descriptions of Paige’s stimming where her mind is trying to calm her over-stimulation with involuntary movements.
The main conflict arises when Paige discovers the Dot that’s been implanted behind her ear. She’s worried and angered that people can monitor her life and control how she behaves. Nucleus is behind her surgery and Paige is frightened to learn the company is selling her information to a social media giant known for abusing customer data. The conflict boils down to big business versus individuals and it’s unlikely an autistic twelve-year-old can do anything about it. However, Paige discovers she can do the impossible when motivated as she recruits other test subjects to join her team.
The other main plot concerns Paige’s relationship with her best friend Mara. Mara is very supportive and helps Paige deal with stressful situations. Paige has problems knowing how to behave socially and she’s not sure how to handle being part of a new group of friends. She’s always had Mara to herself so sharing her with other people is hard and confusing. If Mara has new interests with new people, does that mean she’s no longer Paige’s friend? Friendships in middle grades can be fickle so readers should make connections with Paige’s issues. They’re not unique to autism.
What didn’t work as well:
The author includes a subplot where Paige struggles with her gender identity but it probably wasn’t necessary. The conflict with Nucleus, Paige’s struggles with autism, and the complications of friendship were enough to keep readers’ attention. There’s nothing wrong with including the question of gender identity but maybe it should have been a bigger part of the story. It almost gets lost among the other problems until the very end of the book.
The final verdict:
Young people battling with large corporations always result in a dramatic story. Paige’s autism provides a novel complication but her determination to maintain her identity makes her an admirable heroine. Overall, the author creates a fresh conflict with an underdog protagonist and I recommend you give this book a shot.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle-grade novel focuses on Paige, a girl with autism, her neurotypical best friend Mara, and the people they meet as they try to do battle with an Elon Musk-type baddie who thinks neurodivergent people need to be fixed.

Along the way, they make friends with other children with autism: Kelsey, who hates that her influencer mom posts Kelsey’s meltdowns for her followers to see. Marcus, who is nonverbal, and his protective big sister Gabby.

Paige feels like her parents just want her to be “normal”, and when she finds out they had an experimental device implanted in her brain (they told her she was getting her tonsils out), she is angry that they can’t accept her for how she is. Even worse, the company that created the implant is about to enter an agreement with a Facebook-like entity, which means all the information about what goes on in the brains of Paige and other test subjects is about to go public.

Rather than accept that fate, the kids fight back. And here’s the good thing: the way they do it is actually pretty realistic.

Of course, there are problems along the way. There is the usual middle school trope of having a best friend become friends with someone else. Here it is further complicated by Paige’s realization that she is nonbinary and is attracted to Mara.

Things are wrapped up with a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I found the narrative easy to follow. Paige’s conflicts were realistic, even though the underlying premise was maybe a bit out there. Descriptions of Paige’s personal challenges with autism, emotions, stimming, and anxiety were realistic, but, from the acknowledgements, I gather that the author, to, has autism.

I loved this representation of the idea that those who are neurodivergent do not need to be “fixed” and that their voices matter in how they treated.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Anxiety meltdowns, hiding things from parents, lots of videogaming, sneaking around. Paige, while a “girl”, feels nonbinary and is attracted to another girl. A female teacher has a wife.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like coming of age, neurodivergent characters, beating big corporations.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing and ARC for my honest review.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This captivating middle-grade novel follows autistic kids in an experiment involving The Dot, a brain implant that monitors vitals and releases serotonin to manage stress. Paige, who received The Dot at seven under the guise of a tonsillectomy, discovers its true purpose through an email on her dad's computer. Learning that The Dot is being sold to a social media company, she becomes desperate to remove it and seeks support from other autistic kids in the study.
Paige, who is queer and likely nonbinary, navigates friendship dramas and first crushes. This sci-fi/adventure blend follows 12-year-old Paige as she discovers her parents enrolled her in a program without her consent, tracking and controlling her emotions. Determined to stop the company from selling her data, Paige rallies fellow participants to fight back.
The story emphasizes friendship, action, and a crucial message about bodily autonomy, challenging stereotypes about autism with strong queer, anxiety, and neurodivergence representation. It addresses differing views on autism: some see it as a disease to cure, while Paige and others see it as part of their identity.
Paige is disturbed by being monitored and controlled, especially after learning Nucleus, the company behind her surgery, plans to sell her data. Despite the odds, she finds strength in herself and forms new alliances. A subplot involving her best friend Mara explores the complexities of middle school friendships and social navigation.

[Jamie Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paige Wells (11) is autistic and can find life, school, and complicated situations a bit overwhelming. She throws her attention at her cat, Clawdia, her best friend Mara, and their favorite video game, Realms of Wonder. Things take an intresting turn when she snoops on her father's email - it had her name on it, after all - learning that some program GPS tracks her and all her vitals and emotions are tracked. When she tells Mara, her friend uncovers the Dot, an implant made by Nucleus, a company run by a billionaire, inserted into the brains of autisitc minors and that Elliot Preston is not kind in his feelings about autism. When an merger with Homepage, a huge social media company known for selling peronal data, is announced, Mara and Paige set out to find other kids in New York with the Dot so they stop the merger, and maybe get their lives back. A realistic look at the lives of autistic kids. Though it is helmed as science fiction, the realism (autism, the families, the social media, the biollionaire) put the sci-fic aspects on the back burner, leaving it more of a mystery with a dash of adventure thrown in. Paige is learning to deal with her parents lies, that she can't trust she is who she is or if the Dot is affecting her, making new friends, jealousy, coiming to terms with being nonbinary, and that she has a crush on Mara and wants to be more than just friends. All of this wrapped into the plot of the evil company make for a good read.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of a millionaire putting implants into autistic children's heads is big. Finding out that he intends to sell this business to a business that is social media connected and known for selling personal data is enormous. When Paige realizes she is connected to this program, she intends to bring them down, but how? She finds other local autistic children who have these implants and extends her social skills with the help of her best friend who is not autistic and connects with the others. One of the kids close to her age is a homeschooled girl whose mother shares videos of her behaviors on a blog in an attempt to teach others about common social and emotional behaviors. The second is older than her and is non-verbal. He and his sister, who interprets his sign language, join Paige on this mission. They meet in a park and sneak into the business to find out details about the program and prove it is too dangerous for too many people. This part, alone, is quite a fascinating tale. Paige is also nonbinary and has feelings for her friend that she has not shared. They are all obsessed with a video game that comes into play in the course of this story.

I really liked this book. I wish our world would be more understanding of both story lines, but I fear that one story line will make this book more YA than the author and publisher intended.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the other day I remembered I was an adult who could just get scholastic books instead of waiting for book fairs so grabbed this one expecting a nice fun read with an autism twist. I'll admit I didn't fully read the synopsis.

Now the writing style was very targeted at kids, which I was happy about as that's what I like before bed, but wasn't expecting all the emotions, from the good to the bad. The beginning, aka the pre adventure triggered a lot of memories of childhood I forgot about, so I got frustrated but I'm glad I made it through, both on the learning about myself and the adventure part.

The adventure part was fun, I loved the narration from Paige. The self doubt. The anxiety. The fact that the world continued while Paige was thinking about other things. I found the end of the adventure a bit rushed, but still an enjoyable experience. I found the not so subtle digs at a billionaire and some companies so much fun.

I actually teared up post adventure when people realized they were not being heard and seen, and then in fact the being heard and seen explicitly.

I'd say overall a positive experience. Not the best thing I've ever read, but as an adult reading scholastic, I enjoyed it.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cancelling noise headphones? Yes, please. I feel like Paige understands me so well. She is a great character and an honest representation of a girl who just wants to be herself even if it means to be neuro divergence like me.

Her friend is a true friend and I wish I had one as empathic and understanding as Mara. Plus, she is clever, a quick thinker, and very brave.

The story is a very creative and clever thriller/conspiracy vibe for kids and it's exciting. Paige discovers that she did not remove her tonsils when she was younger, instead, she was part of an experiment that puts a divide in the brain to control, analyze data, and regularize her moods (without her permission) a very contemporary issue that can lead to a lot of great discussions.

Done in a fun way it addresses many issues in our society as a community but also as a family.
Well done.

Thank you publisher and Netgalley for this digital-arc

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paige worries about her autism affects herself, her family, her friend Mara, and how she interacts with school and social situations. Life is hard enough, but then she discovers that her parents enrolled her in an autism study program without her consent. When she was seven years old, her parents allowed a company to insert a monitor into her brain that has been tracking her and collecting data for five years. Believing that she can't talk to her parents about this, she and her friend Mara begin collecting information about the Dot and other "subjects" in the study. What Paige, Mara and a couple of others find makes them determined to expose and shut down the program. I loved the concept of this story and the related thoughts about bioethics, large corporations, and the use of data versus personal privacy. Overall, though, I found the pacing problematic and the solution to the problem somehow overly simplistic while simultaneously being dramatic.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy novel about kids with autism who find out they are part of a secret pilot project to test brain implants, and stand up for themselves against the corporation that is acting without their consent. Consent is a big topic in this novel actually. Unfortunately it's not handbook for resistance, as the kids decide their best course of action is to break into the tech company and steal back their data.

Mostly the drama is driven by people not talking to each other, which on the one hand is the trope that annoys the the most, but on the other hand, can be forgiven in this situation because it's kids, and the main girl already is not always good at communicating, so it's at least an established character trait.

So, this book wasn't really for me, but I'll inflate the rating because it will be good for some middle school kid who is autistic, or who has friends and classmates that are.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about an autistic preteen who discovers she has a chip in her brain, and the data is about to be sold to a social media company. Paige makes a plan and gathers a team, and fights against this powerful corporation. Paige's parents are well-meaning but don't always understand Paige's needs, and the book explores that, as well as Paige's queer identity. I love how this book shows autistic characters coming together, including one who communicates via ASL and AAC. I also appreciate the friendships between autistic and neurotypical characters. I also appreciates how the book touches on ableism, the idea of wanting to "cure" autism, and how a company might exploit disabled people under the guise of trying to help the, among other issues. This book made me cry so many times, and most of them were happy tears. I'm so glad it exists in the world.

[JackandJill · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the best autistic representation I've ever seen in a middle grade novel, Paige Not Found will certainly become a sci-fi classic for all ages.

The best science fiction always asks important questions, and this book does an excellent job of investigating what it means to have control of your own mind. It takes a very modern approach by tackling the ethics of billionaires, from the privacy concerns due to social media all the way to dubious brain chips, all things that have happened in the last decade.

This book had a very realistic ending, handled all the autistic characters with kindness and compassion for their individual experiences, and treated them like the human beings that they are.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this was YA like 14 or 16. it would have been more believable. I applaud the concept and the diversity. I didn't like the victimization of neurodivergent, I understand that feeling, but it seemed so helpless. The situation was so unimaginative, is that what the author thinks middle grade is? Dumbed down, thinly-veiled reality? Kids are smarter, but don't use typically use the language in this book, maybe neurospicy kids learn terminology, but it seems improbable.
I am really happy with Paige's support system outside of her family though. Girls coming through for other girls and being supportive and asking for consent (although Paige doesn't return the favor). Love Ms. Penny, we need more cool teachers that are portrayed as caring, observant, kind humans.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paige is a young, autistic girl who's life is turned upside down when she finds out that she as an implant (the Dot) in her brain that is affecting her moods and emotions. She also discovers that the information obtained by her Dot is about to be sold to a company with no regard for privacy. Paige and her best friend Mara set out to find all the other Dot users in New York and try to stop the sale.

I thought this was an interesting look into the mind of a child with autism. It was very humanizing. I wasn't too much of a fan since I felt the story was a bit to pat. I did like the role her parents take at the end.