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The Factory
Step inside the Factory in this suspenseful, page-turning exploration of power, exploitation, and the nature of time by Catherine Egan -- perfect for fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix and Gordon Korman!
Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle is no stranger to misfortune. Bullied at school and struggling with problems at home, he dreams of the day he can leave it all behind him. That's when he receives an unexpected an invitation to join the Factory -- a top-secret research facility that's supposedly developing renewable energy -- and Asher will be paid handsomely for his participation. It seems like the answer to all his problems.
But not everything is as it seems at the Factory. The other kids in the program are tired and sullen, almost as if they've had the life sucked out of them, and the staff members are clearly hiding something. What's more, Asher discovers he wasn't chosen at random; someone in the program desperately wants him to participate. Asher can't help but feel that whatever the Factory is doing, it's not what he or any of the other kids signed up for.
To Asher's horror, it turns out that the Factory isn't developing renewable energy at all. So what is the Factory up to, more important, why? As conditions in the Factory worsen, Asher must team up with the other kids to uncover the sinister truth behind the experiment -- and his personal connection to it -- before someone gets seriously hurt.
Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle is no stranger to misfortune. Bullied at school and struggling with problems at home, he dreams of the day he can leave it all behind him. That's when he receives an unexpected an invitation to join the Factory -- a top-secret research facility that's supposedly developing renewable energy -- and Asher will be paid handsomely for his participation. It seems like the answer to all his problems.
But not everything is as it seems at the Factory. The other kids in the program are tired and sullen, almost as if they've had the life sucked out of them, and the staff members are clearly hiding something. What's more, Asher discovers he wasn't chosen at random; someone in the program desperately wants him to participate. Asher can't help but feel that whatever the Factory is doing, it's not what he or any of the other kids signed up for.
To Asher's horror, it turns out that the Factory isn't developing renewable energy at all. So what is the Factory up to, more important, why? As conditions in the Factory worsen, Asher must team up with the other kids to uncover the sinister truth behind the experiment -- and his personal connection to it -- before someone gets seriously hurt.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2025
16 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Egan
12 books210 followersMy superpowers: forward momentum, list-making, simultaneously holding two opposing opinions
My weaknesses: overthinking, excessive list-making, simultaneously holding two opposing opinions
My allies: My made-for-walking-in black boots, Mick, the English Language
My enemies: decaf, low blood sugar, the passage of time
My mission: the coexistence of ambivalence and joy.
My weaknesses: overthinking, excessive list-making, simultaneously holding two opposing opinions
My allies: My made-for-walking-in black boots, Mick, the English Language
My enemies: decaf, low blood sugar, the passage of time
My mission: the coexistence of ambivalence and joy.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 27, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
N.B. I don't want to spoil the ending, so will have to review accordingly!
Asher Doyle lives in a slightly dystopian future with a lot of climate issues, but he has a decent life with his grandmother, Nan. His mother, Lizzy, had him when she was 19, and hasn't raised him, since she has been going to college and trying her hand at a lot of different businesses. His father is senator Garrison Broom, who has given Lizzy some support but demanded that there is a nondisclosure agreement in place so that his political career is not affected. When Lizzy borrows a lot of money from the wrong people, Broom suggests that Asher go to The Factory to take part in an exciting experiment that is hoping to produce clean energy. Since Asher had a bad year in 7th grade, he's okay with going to a new school, although his grandmother holds out until the very last and doesn't want to send him. The Factory is a high security installation in the desert, and the eight new children have to be disinfected and wear white jumpsuits when they arrive. It's a sterile, lab like environment, and the children are not given a lot of information. All of them have sad backstories, and their families desperately need the money. Faith's family lost their home and were in a climate refugee camp before living with relatives. Troy's brother needs expensive care. Most are happy that the food at the school is good, and that the air conditioning always works, and that they are safe from the rampant wildfires that cause the air to be smoky. They're less happy with the online schooling, and the worst is the reason they are there: the extraction chambers. On a schedule, the kids have to don plastic t shirts, go into pods, and be covered with a gel before they are besieged with electrical currents. It makes them all feel drained, and some of the kids become very ill. A few, like Louisa, have gone away and never come back. Troy is going poorly, and his best friend, Vi, is determined to investigate. The kids have found a way to evade the cameras and meet on the roof, and start to plan how to get more information about The Factory. Asher is approached by the director, Dr. Mach, and taken to the city to meet his father. There's a military component to the place that doesn't seem to jibe with the clean energy aspect of the process. When both Troy and another girl, Zoe, become very ill, Vi and Asher cut cords to the extraction containers, which buys them some time. They manage to get into Dr. Lahiri's office and snoop at some of the records, and find alarming information. When Troy is sent away, Dr. Lahiri quits, and Asher and Vi are even more suspicious than ever. When they find that they are not alone in their feeling that something is not right and have some adult backup to their investigation, they make some progress on unraveling the secrets of the "threads" that are being extracted. Will they be able to close down The Factory before too many tragedies occur?
Strengths: Any book that suprises me is a good thing, and this certainly took my brain on a wild whirl. Note that this is a "Timeslip Tuesday" entry, but I'm not saying anything more about WHY it is! The slightly dystopian but recognizable setting is always a good one, and the characters were varied and easy to remember. The villains are bad people, but we do get some adults who are helpful, even though it's up to the kids, of course, to save the day. The cover is good and creepy, and I think this will be one of those books that in thirty years people will look back and ask their friends "What was that sci fi title that we picked up at the Scholastic bookfair?" because everybody who liked dystopian books bought and talked about, but because it is being issued only in paperback, there are no extant copies!
Weaknesses: This is a little on the long side, and a lot that didn't forward the plot could have been cut out. Asher likes to create backstories for people he meets, and there's a lot of description that wasn't quite necessary.
What I really think: This reminded me a tiny bit of Landon's 2010 The Limit, which also had students paying off family debt by being in a lab, or Smith's Boy X, but is really rather unique. The length and style make this more upper middle grade (Asher is an 8th grader), but whether or not I buy it will depend on the availability of a prebound copy, since Scholastic is releasing this only as a paperback, like Zhao's Last Gamer Standing.
N.B. I don't want to spoil the ending, so will have to review accordingly!
Asher Doyle lives in a slightly dystopian future with a lot of climate issues, but he has a decent life with his grandmother, Nan. His mother, Lizzy, had him when she was 19, and hasn't raised him, since she has been going to college and trying her hand at a lot of different businesses. His father is senator Garrison Broom, who has given Lizzy some support but demanded that there is a nondisclosure agreement in place so that his political career is not affected. When Lizzy borrows a lot of money from the wrong people, Broom suggests that Asher go to The Factory to take part in an exciting experiment that is hoping to produce clean energy. Since Asher had a bad year in 7th grade, he's okay with going to a new school, although his grandmother holds out until the very last and doesn't want to send him. The Factory is a high security installation in the desert, and the eight new children have to be disinfected and wear white jumpsuits when they arrive. It's a sterile, lab like environment, and the children are not given a lot of information. All of them have sad backstories, and their families desperately need the money. Faith's family lost their home and were in a climate refugee camp before living with relatives. Troy's brother needs expensive care. Most are happy that the food at the school is good, and that the air conditioning always works, and that they are safe from the rampant wildfires that cause the air to be smoky. They're less happy with the online schooling, and the worst is the reason they are there: the extraction chambers. On a schedule, the kids have to don plastic t shirts, go into pods, and be covered with a gel before they are besieged with electrical currents. It makes them all feel drained, and some of the kids become very ill. A few, like Louisa, have gone away and never come back. Troy is going poorly, and his best friend, Vi, is determined to investigate. The kids have found a way to evade the cameras and meet on the roof, and start to plan how to get more information about The Factory. Asher is approached by the director, Dr. Mach, and taken to the city to meet his father. There's a military component to the place that doesn't seem to jibe with the clean energy aspect of the process. When both Troy and another girl, Zoe, become very ill, Vi and Asher cut cords to the extraction containers, which buys them some time. They manage to get into Dr. Lahiri's office and snoop at some of the records, and find alarming information. When Troy is sent away, Dr. Lahiri quits, and Asher and Vi are even more suspicious than ever. When they find that they are not alone in their feeling that something is not right and have some adult backup to their investigation, they make some progress on unraveling the secrets of the "threads" that are being extracted. Will they be able to close down The Factory before too many tragedies occur?
Strengths: Any book that suprises me is a good thing, and this certainly took my brain on a wild whirl. Note that this is a "Timeslip Tuesday" entry, but I'm not saying anything more about WHY it is! The slightly dystopian but recognizable setting is always a good one, and the characters were varied and easy to remember. The villains are bad people, but we do get some adults who are helpful, even though it's up to the kids, of course, to save the day. The cover is good and creepy, and I think this will be one of those books that in thirty years people will look back and ask their friends "What was that sci fi title that we picked up at the Scholastic bookfair?" because everybody who liked dystopian books bought and talked about, but because it is being issued only in paperback, there are no extant copies!
Weaknesses: This is a little on the long side, and a lot that didn't forward the plot could have been cut out. Asher likes to create backstories for people he meets, and there's a lot of description that wasn't quite necessary.
What I really think: This reminded me a tiny bit of Landon's 2010 The Limit, which also had students paying off family debt by being in a lab, or Smith's Boy X, but is really rather unique. The length and style make this more upper middle grade (Asher is an 8th grader), but whether or not I buy it will depend on the availability of a prebound copy, since Scholastic is releasing this only as a paperback, like Zhao's Last Gamer Standing.
November 24, 2025
The Factory is set in America after the climate crisis has gotten than much worse. Families are selected (recruited?) to sign up their children to partake in a year-long program in which teenagers’ electromagnetic energy is harvested under the guise of helping the country’s climate/energy crisis. Just you wait until you find out what’s really going on as well as why these particular children were selected😡Also, the way the novel ends sets up the sequel, The Experiment, perfectly, and I cannot wait to start what I’m sure will be a total mind-bender.
November 27, 2025
What a pageturner! Egan has crafted another dynamite YA novel, complete with a creepy premise, loveable teen characters, diabolical adult villains, and high stakes plot. Highly recommend!
December 9, 2025
3.5 - I actually thought this was a solid book with a well-written plot/characters until the last 5 pages. Wish the author would have just wrapped it up in the first book.
January 11, 2025
3.5ish - A solid, page-turning middle grades dystopia. I didn't know what was happening at The Factory, but it's a really interesting idea when we finally find out. I could've done without the chapters on Things that Will Not Happen. Those just felt like a really staged writing conceit. Otherwise, I was intrigued enough by the ending to read the sneak peek into book two.
August 14, 2025
Did I just get… cliffhangered???
Usually middle grade sci-fi books have some stupid concept and predictable twists but this one decided to be different. The story follows a thirteen year old named Asher who gets put into a mysterious factory to help pay off his mom’s debt. Long story short the workers are evil and stealing the futures of little kids to make time bombs. So, plot: was actually interesting! The concept really captured me and had me guessing what was going to happen next. The creativity and originality just radiates from this book like sun rays. The writing style was good for a first person book, and there were a few jokes that got an amused scoff out of me. The plot twist of Vi becoming the new director at the end was CRAZY— oh and also a cliffhanger which I haven’t encountered since the sun bearer trials.
The characters had a surprising amount of depth considering the source material. Asher is a trouble maker but learns to overcome his challenges and put his rebellious mind to good use. He has a lot of emotional maturity for someone his age and is overall a charming and altruistic main character. Faith is another wonderful character, caught between her desire for normalcy and the prospect of working towards the greater good and her moral complex. She struggles to fit in despite having what people consider the dream life compared to the lives of others in the factory. I love her character development and how she overcomes her challenges and she’s just such a fun character. Violent is fine I guess. She was very annoying at first but then eventually became tolerable. ALSO THE HINTING OF ROMANCE BETWEEN HER AND ASHER AHHHHH I HATE IT. Anyway— Troy is obviously my favorite because I love little nerdy boys. He’s awkward and vulnerable but I love everything about it. Him being Vi’s opposite created such a cute dynamic I wish we got more of.
My only complaints are that I wish Troy didn’t just disappear halfway through. Yeah he was in the hospital but it seems like he was completely forgotten about towards the end and became such an afterthought. Another complaint is the blatant spelling errors that popped up once or twice, like get a new editor please. Other than that this book was rather enjoyable! Can’t wait to read the second one.
Usually middle grade sci-fi books have some stupid concept and predictable twists but this one decided to be different. The story follows a thirteen year old named Asher who gets put into a mysterious factory to help pay off his mom’s debt. Long story short the workers are evil and stealing the futures of little kids to make time bombs. So, plot: was actually interesting! The concept really captured me and had me guessing what was going to happen next. The creativity and originality just radiates from this book like sun rays. The writing style was good for a first person book, and there were a few jokes that got an amused scoff out of me. The plot twist of Vi becoming the new director at the end was CRAZY— oh and also a cliffhanger which I haven’t encountered since the sun bearer trials.
The characters had a surprising amount of depth considering the source material. Asher is a trouble maker but learns to overcome his challenges and put his rebellious mind to good use. He has a lot of emotional maturity for someone his age and is overall a charming and altruistic main character. Faith is another wonderful character, caught between her desire for normalcy and the prospect of working towards the greater good and her moral complex. She struggles to fit in despite having what people consider the dream life compared to the lives of others in the factory. I love her character development and how she overcomes her challenges and she’s just such a fun character. Violent is fine I guess. She was very annoying at first but then eventually became tolerable. ALSO THE HINTING OF ROMANCE BETWEEN HER AND ASHER AHHHHH I HATE IT. Anyway— Troy is obviously my favorite because I love little nerdy boys. He’s awkward and vulnerable but I love everything about it. Him being Vi’s opposite created such a cute dynamic I wish we got more of.
My only complaints are that I wish Troy didn’t just disappear halfway through. Yeah he was in the hospital but it seems like he was completely forgotten about towards the end and became such an afterthought. Another complaint is the blatant spelling errors that popped up once or twice, like get a new editor please. Other than that this book was rather enjoyable! Can’t wait to read the second one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2025
This book really hooked me and my 10 yr old son in. We really wanted to know, what were they doing to those kids in the Factory? Would Vi, Faith, Troy and Asher survive intact?
Unfortunately, it did drag a little in the middle and then swiftly towards the end there was a frantic pace to try pull threads together.
While we understood what the book was getting at and where it was trying to get us, it was a bit clunky and rushed at the end. Without the. preview for the next book being available in the back, we would have had way, way more questions. As it was we have still finished the book with questions that are more unfulfilled, or confused, rather than an itch we want to scratch by finding the next book.
Themes of the book: electromagnetism, friendship, family, betrayal, climate change, selflessness, human need for climate safety, food, water and clean air.
Unfortunately, it did drag a little in the middle and then swiftly towards the end there was a frantic pace to try pull threads together.
While we understood what the book was getting at and where it was trying to get us, it was a bit clunky and rushed at the end. Without the. preview for the next book being available in the back, we would have had way, way more questions. As it was we have still finished the book with questions that are more unfulfilled, or confused, rather than an itch we want to scratch by finding the next book.
Themes of the book: electromagnetism, friendship, family, betrayal, climate change, selflessness, human need for climate safety, food, water and clean air.
March 3, 2025
Miss Lori blew through this book only to be "blown away" at the ending. I didn't realize this was book one and the second book doesn't come out until October!!! Slightly futuristic. Large company and the military funding a project children are brought into, after having been lied to about the meaning of the project. Devious leaders. Harrowing escapades. Do the ends justify the means? This book has it all! My heart rate was sky high as I neared the end of the book, wanting to know what happens, only to be baffled and flabbergasted by the end!
I wholly recommend this book to upper level 5th grade and above readers. It is a bit longer than a "normal" middle grade book, at 320 pgs. but definitely worth it, as you will be speeding through the book to find out what happens next!
I wholly recommend this book to upper level 5th grade and above readers. It is a bit longer than a "normal" middle grade book, at 320 pgs. but definitely worth it, as you will be speeding through the book to find out what happens next!
April 21, 2025
Got this book free from scholastic. (Synopsis - kids are taken to a factory. Their families are paid lots of money for them to go. While they are there they are put into chambers and things are extracted from them. It turns out that it is possible threads of their future being taken. They use these futures to create a time bomb. This bomb freezes time within the blast site. The narrator wake up and the girl that was his friend trying to get out is now the director of the factory years later.) The book was pretty much meh the whole way through. I’m a sucker for time travel and multiple universes, so the ending was good for me. There is a sequel being created, but it’s probably going to be really dumb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2025
A bit futuristic, a little creepy, and totally gripping. A powerful company and the military are behind a mysterious project and kids are at the center of it, brought in under false pretences. The adults in charge are not exactly trustworthy. The story is full of intense moments, big questions, and wild twists. I thought I had it figured out, but the ending surprised me. This is an interesting, confusing, keeps you guessing till the end kind of book that I think middle grade readers will enjoy. Main character is in grade 8 in this slightly dystopian book.
July 25, 2025
This book totally caught me by surprise! It gave me strong Divergent and Maze Runner vibes, but with its own unique twist. The sci-fi elements were super intriguing, and I was hooked from the first few chapters. It did drag a little in a few spots, but not enough to lose me. I still flew through it and found myself wanting more by the end. I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series. If you’re into dystopian sci-fi with a twist, definitely check this one out!
March 5, 2025
Definitely think that this will be the most influential sci-fi book of the decade (like the Foundation and Star Wars). Its Fantasy counterpart is Impossible Creatures.
To be honest, this is an amazing book so far and it is certainly a little dark when reading. Really dark. Definitely a thriller, will read again and again each year in the future.
To be honest, this is an amazing book so far and it is certainly a little dark when reading. Really dark. Definitely a thriller, will read again and again each year in the future.
July 4, 2025
This is a fast-paced well written book with a great storyline. The characters are well developed and stay consistent throughout the book. The ending was a surprise. And I guess I need to read the sequel to see how it turns oout.
February 27, 2025
This is an interesting, confusing, keeps you guessing till the end kind of book. I'm looking forward to when the sequel comes out.
April 13, 2025
DNF
I just didn't enjoy the plot, I didn't like the setting. I started skimming for the dialogue, but eventually just couldn't continue doing so. I wouldn't recommend this book.
I just didn't enjoy the plot, I didn't like the setting. I started skimming for the dialogue, but eventually just couldn't continue doing so. I wouldn't recommend this book.
April 28, 2025
Good middle grade book but be forewarned there’s a sequel
May 18, 2025
Good, original plot line.
October 1, 2025
This is the next big dystopian world movie, you heard it here first...
October 31, 2025
a bit draggy until the end. I wanted to be done with it but now I have to read the next book to see what happens! great mystery
November 4, 2025
A slow start built and the finish left me wanting to read the next one. That's a good sign. Some interesting ideas about time which I always enjoy.
November 24, 2025
I read this for something I am doing at work. Pretty good! The concept intrigued me, I love a good sci-fi novel and I will enjoy talking about this with middle school students.
December 3, 2025
This is an excellent sci-fi offering for middle grade to intermediate readers.
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December 13, 2025Battle of the Books
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