What do you think?
Rate this book
Tested
Not yet published
Expected 31 Mar 26Set in a world where everyone’s future is determined by their Genetic Report Card, a girl who’s always believed she was at the top of society finds out her score was based off someone else’s DNA in this high-stakes middle grade dystopian novel.
For as long as Mikayla can remember, her future has been laid out for her. As an Elite in a world divided by genetic Elites, Defectives, and Expendables, she’ll live up to her stellar Genetic Report Card score of ninety-four by excelling academically, gaining acceptance into the Elite Scholars program, and eventually working for GenIn, the company that saved humanity after the catastrophic Great Dying.
All seems to be going as planned until a surprise assignment during Mikayla’s class changes everything. Soon, she’s reconnecting with a friend she thought she’d lost forever and—for the first time in her life—questioning the society she has put her trust in.
But if Mikayla isn’t the model citizen she always believed herself to be, then who is she?
For as long as Mikayla can remember, her future has been laid out for her. As an Elite in a world divided by genetic Elites, Defectives, and Expendables, she’ll live up to her stellar Genetic Report Card score of ninety-four by excelling academically, gaining acceptance into the Elite Scholars program, and eventually working for GenIn, the company that saved humanity after the catastrophic Great Dying.
All seems to be going as planned until a surprise assignment during Mikayla’s class changes everything. Soon, she’s reconnecting with a friend she thought she’d lost forever and—for the first time in her life—questioning the society she has put her trust in.
But if Mikayla isn’t the model citizen she always believed herself to be, then who is she?
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 31, 2026
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 14, 2026
Exciting dystopian series opener written with middle grade readers in mind!
14 year old Mikayla has lived her whole life as a child set apart by her Genetic Report Card score (GRC) of 94 and her parents’ equally stellar scores on the DNA test that indicates their potential for high level achievement in a world that was torn apart by climate destruction and contamination. Those who are most likely to contribute to the restoration of the country are designated as Elites and Super Elites while the more average scoring citizens are label Defectives and live in communities with far less opportunity and struggle to find uncontaminated food and needed medications. Those scoring below the Defective level are doomed to scraping by in areas called Toxic Zones and are called Expendables. As the second generation living in such a divided and prejudiced society, Mikayla doesn’t give her status, and the purple band that announces to the world that she is Elite, a second thought and assumes that this is truly the best way to rebuild her home. Until a classroom DNA test reveals that she is not an elite 94 but rather, a Defective 88. Desperate to hide that number as well as determine when and how the mistake occurred and determined to continue her studies and take the early Elite Scholars placement test her high GRC as earned for her sets her on a path that is dangerous and may change everything.
Author Anna Monders does an excellent job of establishing the rules of Mikayla’s world and her casual acceptance of them as well as creates a palpable tension as she and her fellow Elites work desperately to show that they are living up to their genetic potential and sacrifice any personal goals or interests in an effort to score high enough on the Fulfilled Genetic Potential exam to be accepted into a special academic program. The relationship between Mikayla and Garith, her best friend from a few years back that was badly damaged by a serious mistake, is reestablished in a reasonable fashion and their friendship moves from platonic to something more, but with only handholding, hugs and shared secrets marking the change. The trio of Mikayla, Garith and a Defective named Grace starts with anger as well as curiosity and ultimately proves that no one should be judged by a number. Much is resolved at the conclusion of Tested but much is left to be continued in at least one other book.
Highly recommended for lovers of dystopian, friendship themed titles, and books that keep you on your toes and make you think. And yes, there are shades of Joelle Charbonneau’s The Testing series here but Tested is different enough that I don’t think it will bother anyone….but I would have titled it something else.
Target age: grades 5-9 (maybe older)
Profanity: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: Those living in the Toxic Zones are purposefully subjected to harmful and impoverished conditions but no person to person physical violence
Representation: Not enough physical descriptions or cultural references to determine race of characters but with hair and skin tone noted for Mikayla and Grace, it can be assumed they are Caucasian; families are diverse with Mikayla’s parents and Dr Ava being divorced, Garith and Grace live in traditional two parent homes; clearly there is extreme prejudice based on a DNA test that emphasizes health, learning potential and ability to develop positive social relationships
LBGTQ+: Elites Soraya and Kimani are married with their same sex relationship not receiving any real emphasis or extra attention
Thanks for the print arc, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin.
14 year old Mikayla has lived her whole life as a child set apart by her Genetic Report Card score (GRC) of 94 and her parents’ equally stellar scores on the DNA test that indicates their potential for high level achievement in a world that was torn apart by climate destruction and contamination. Those who are most likely to contribute to the restoration of the country are designated as Elites and Super Elites while the more average scoring citizens are label Defectives and live in communities with far less opportunity and struggle to find uncontaminated food and needed medications. Those scoring below the Defective level are doomed to scraping by in areas called Toxic Zones and are called Expendables. As the second generation living in such a divided and prejudiced society, Mikayla doesn’t give her status, and the purple band that announces to the world that she is Elite, a second thought and assumes that this is truly the best way to rebuild her home. Until a classroom DNA test reveals that she is not an elite 94 but rather, a Defective 88. Desperate to hide that number as well as determine when and how the mistake occurred and determined to continue her studies and take the early Elite Scholars placement test her high GRC as earned for her sets her on a path that is dangerous and may change everything.
Author Anna Monders does an excellent job of establishing the rules of Mikayla’s world and her casual acceptance of them as well as creates a palpable tension as she and her fellow Elites work desperately to show that they are living up to their genetic potential and sacrifice any personal goals or interests in an effort to score high enough on the Fulfilled Genetic Potential exam to be accepted into a special academic program. The relationship between Mikayla and Garith, her best friend from a few years back that was badly damaged by a serious mistake, is reestablished in a reasonable fashion and their friendship moves from platonic to something more, but with only handholding, hugs and shared secrets marking the change. The trio of Mikayla, Garith and a Defective named Grace starts with anger as well as curiosity and ultimately proves that no one should be judged by a number. Much is resolved at the conclusion of Tested but much is left to be continued in at least one other book.
Highly recommended for lovers of dystopian, friendship themed titles, and books that keep you on your toes and make you think. And yes, there are shades of Joelle Charbonneau’s The Testing series here but Tested is different enough that I don’t think it will bother anyone….but I would have titled it something else.
Target age: grades 5-9 (maybe older)
Profanity: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: Those living in the Toxic Zones are purposefully subjected to harmful and impoverished conditions but no person to person physical violence
Representation: Not enough physical descriptions or cultural references to determine race of characters but with hair and skin tone noted for Mikayla and Grace, it can be assumed they are Caucasian; families are diverse with Mikayla’s parents and Dr Ava being divorced, Garith and Grace live in traditional two parent homes; clearly there is extreme prejudice based on a DNA test that emphasizes health, learning potential and ability to develop positive social relationships
LBGTQ+: Elites Soraya and Kimani are married with their same sex relationship not receiving any real emphasis or extra attention
Thanks for the print arc, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Mikayla Grebe is preparing for the Fulfilled Genetic Potential test that will get her into the Elite Scholars program in a futuristic world where people are categorized as Elite, Defective, or Expendable based on their Genetic Report Card. Her parents are divorced, and her mother is employed by GenIn, which hires only the highest rated people, and it the only sure way to secure a solid future. She hasn't seen her father since he left. Mikayla's rating is a 94, and her mother has discouraged her from hanging out with Garith, whose rating is only 91. When preparing for the exam under the supervision of Dr. Ava, who hates her mother, Mikayla runs her own DNA for a class project, and is astonished that her results on the report card are only as 88. This would make her a defective, and horrible things might happen to her and her family. With Garith's help, she realizes that the sample is tagged to a girl named Grace Cramer, who shared a similar birthday, and Mikayla determines that they are twins separated at birth. It is a common practice for Elite parents to give up Defective children. Mikayla and Gareth hunt down Grace, but find out that the truth is even more shocking. Grace has an older brother, Bryce, who has a seizure disorder and is very artistic. The family has hidden his disorder so that he has not been sent to the Toxic Zone, which is what happens to people with health problems, or whose report card is below a certain level. When Mikayla tells her mother that she doesn't want to take the test, her mother allows her to visit her father. When Dr. Ava requires Mikayla to rerun her report card, Mikayla tries to get a sample from Grace, who at first refuses. When Bryce is suddenly sent to the Toxic Zone to work after his 16 year check point turns up his disorder, she changes her mind. When Grace decides to deliver Bryce's medication and drawing supplies to him in the Toxic Zone, Mikayla ends up leaving the test so that she and Garith can go with Grace. Many secrets are uncovered, and Mikayla questions everything she knows about the treatment of people in her society.
Strengths: There are a lot of twists and turns in this that I don't want to ruin. While the reason for the different levels of people in society is explained briefly, with reasonable climate problems and disease killing off half the population, we are dropped into Mikayla's world and immediately made to care about her future. Her mother has clearly instilled in her the importance of excelling academically so that she can grow up to work for GenIn, but has also modeled the behavior that mixing with Defectives or even people with a score lower than hers is unacceptable. To Mikayla's credit, she doesn't believe this in her heart of hearts, and is friends with Garith despite his lower score. She eventually stands up to her mother and this damaging way of thinking. The book is well paced, with some exciting adventures to the Toxic Zone, and navigating through this futuristic society makes for an interesting journey.
Weaknesses: It seemed unlikely that the parents would have agreed to something that was a major plot point; how did they think they wouldn't be found out? I could have used some more background information on how the society came to be the way it was. This felt like the sort of science fiction that was being published twenty years ago when Westerfeld's Uglies came out. The Elite seem to work in scientific research, and while they have more money and better living accomodations, they also have to wear uniforms that involve khakis and polos. Most of my students would probably rather be Defectives like Grace, so they wouldn't have to work so hard or change out of their pajamas, which makes the point of the book fall a bit flat.
What I really think: Highly academically motivated students who are still enjoying books like Lowry's The Giver, Weyn's The Barcode Tattoo or Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox will want more of Mikayla's story, since this stops at the perfect point to begin another book.
Mikayla Grebe is preparing for the Fulfilled Genetic Potential test that will get her into the Elite Scholars program in a futuristic world where people are categorized as Elite, Defective, or Expendable based on their Genetic Report Card. Her parents are divorced, and her mother is employed by GenIn, which hires only the highest rated people, and it the only sure way to secure a solid future. She hasn't seen her father since he left. Mikayla's rating is a 94, and her mother has discouraged her from hanging out with Garith, whose rating is only 91. When preparing for the exam under the supervision of Dr. Ava, who hates her mother, Mikayla runs her own DNA for a class project, and is astonished that her results on the report card are only as 88. This would make her a defective, and horrible things might happen to her and her family. With Garith's help, she realizes that the sample is tagged to a girl named Grace Cramer, who shared a similar birthday, and Mikayla determines that they are twins separated at birth. It is a common practice for Elite parents to give up Defective children. Mikayla and Gareth hunt down Grace, but find out that the truth is even more shocking. Grace has an older brother, Bryce, who has a seizure disorder and is very artistic. The family has hidden his disorder so that he has not been sent to the Toxic Zone, which is what happens to people with health problems, or whose report card is below a certain level. When Mikayla tells her mother that she doesn't want to take the test, her mother allows her to visit her father. When Dr. Ava requires Mikayla to rerun her report card, Mikayla tries to get a sample from Grace, who at first refuses. When Bryce is suddenly sent to the Toxic Zone to work after his 16 year check point turns up his disorder, she changes her mind. When Grace decides to deliver Bryce's medication and drawing supplies to him in the Toxic Zone, Mikayla ends up leaving the test so that she and Garith can go with Grace. Many secrets are uncovered, and Mikayla questions everything she knows about the treatment of people in her society.
Strengths: There are a lot of twists and turns in this that I don't want to ruin. While the reason for the different levels of people in society is explained briefly, with reasonable climate problems and disease killing off half the population, we are dropped into Mikayla's world and immediately made to care about her future. Her mother has clearly instilled in her the importance of excelling academically so that she can grow up to work for GenIn, but has also modeled the behavior that mixing with Defectives or even people with a score lower than hers is unacceptable. To Mikayla's credit, she doesn't believe this in her heart of hearts, and is friends with Garith despite his lower score. She eventually stands up to her mother and this damaging way of thinking. The book is well paced, with some exciting adventures to the Toxic Zone, and navigating through this futuristic society makes for an interesting journey.
Weaknesses: It seemed unlikely that the parents would have agreed to something that was a major plot point; how did they think they wouldn't be found out? I could have used some more background information on how the society came to be the way it was. This felt like the sort of science fiction that was being published twenty years ago when Westerfeld's Uglies came out. The Elite seem to work in scientific research, and while they have more money and better living accomodations, they also have to wear uniforms that involve khakis and polos. Most of my students would probably rather be Defectives like Grace, so they wouldn't have to work so hard or change out of their pajamas, which makes the point of the book fall a bit flat.
What I really think: Highly academically motivated students who are still enjoying books like Lowry's The Giver, Weyn's The Barcode Tattoo or Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox will want more of Mikayla's story, since this stops at the perfect point to begin another book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Tested is a middle grade appropriate dystopian novel where genetic sequencing determines human worth. Anyone with a 90 or above is considered elite. Everyone below is labeled defective or worse. Mikayla is a young teen girl in an elite prep school program preparing for an entrance test into GenIn, the company who basically runs her society. The entire book is broken down in to the days before and after the test. When she finds out that her mother switched her genetic results with another girl's at birth, she finds herself questioning everything she has been told about worth. With the help of her friend Garith, she uncovers a resistance movement and a whole new set of ideologies opens up to her. The book has a great underlying theme about the potential everyone has no matter what their circumstance.
I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own..
I received a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own..
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews