Katie Kacvinsky’s description of a writing in paper journal, an art now long forgotten, and reading a from a physical book, which has to be kept behind glass to protect it, goes straight to the heart. The beginning of “Awaken” immediately draws in the reader, particularly fans of books and writing. Society and Maddie’s parents in particular don’t like the path Maddie is headed down, and they’ll do anything to stop her.

This new way of thinking has its consequences, though. She starts thinking that maybe there’s more to life than computers, that maybe she should be doing something more. Not only does she feel a buzz when she’s around him, but she begins to feel something when they’re apart, too. People aren’t meant to be alone, Justin says. He likes to physically see people and their reactions. Justin likes meeting people out in the open. She gets out every once in a while to play soccer with a team, but other than that, she’s OK with her digital life. Even dating has gone digital with couples visiting the ocean or hiking a mountain, each from the comfort of their separate homes.įor Maddie, this style of living is normal. People spend their whole days “connected” to devices. There are no paper books and food is more about ease and nutrition rather than taste and enjoyment. There are mind readers so people don’t even have to talk, chat rooms for almost anything and Digital School so kids can learn from the safety of their own homes. Maddie lives in a world where everything is run by computers. What if you never had to have face-to-face contact with the people you interacted with? That’s the question posed in Katie Kacvinsky‘s book “Awaken.” “AWAKEN,” by Katie Kacvinsky, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, May 23, 2011, $16.99 (young adult)

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