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Flash Point

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Flash Point

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Overview

Reality TV meets a chillingly realistic version of America--and the fame game is on!

Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she's right to have them. TLN's Who Knows People, Baby--You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life--on and off camera.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101590348
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/08/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
File size:	630 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Nancy Kress is the author of twenty-nine books: seventeen science fiction novels, five fantasy novels, four short story collections, and three books on writing. She has won four Nebula awards, two Hugo awards, a John W. Campbell Award, and the Theodore Surgeon Memorial Award. Her work has been translated into nearly two dozen languages (including Klingon). In addition to writing, Nancy frequently teaches at various venues: Clarion, writing festivals and arts centers around the country, and—most recently—as the Picador Guest Professor at the University of Leipzig in Germany. Nancy Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, SF writer Jack Skillingstead, and Cosette, the world’s most spoiled toy poodle.

Follow her blog at nancykress.blogspot.com.

Read an Excerpt

Trapped in a reality TV game show unlike any other...

I'm Alex Everett," the bald man said. "Before we do the rest of the introductions, let me explain for those of you who still don't understand what you're doing here." He winked at Amy, who kept her face as blank as she could manage. "You lucky seven have been chosen from hundreds of applicants for Taunton Life Network's newest show, Who Knows People, Baby—You? Myra Townsend and I are the producers, and this is how the show works."

As he explained, Amy seethed. So the dog in the tree had been a setup and she'd been filmed. The "robbery" in the lobby. The "rats" outside the doctor's office—which she had believed were a legitimate student-film project. She had been played, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I quit," she said loudly.

Everyone's head swiveled to look at her.

"Of course," Alex said, watching Amy closely, "you're free to quit if you choose. This is a job, not serfdom. There is a long waiting list of girls ready to take your place. But then we'll expect repayment of the advance you've received."

Mrs. Raduski's rent. Gran.

Violet, in the chair beside her, found Amy's hand and squeezed it.

Amy choked out, "I'll stay."

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Breakneck, twisty plot. The day-after-tomorrow setting, anchored by brand-name allusions and crises ripped from the headlines, adds both eerie familiarity and terrifying plausibility.”—Kirkus Reviews

“High energy momentum that will keep the pages turning… readers really will want to find out what happens to their faves.”—Booklist

"During an economic downturn there is always a flash point, when things can either get better or become a complete disaster. Amy, a teenager during the flash point, had dreams of an academic future until the downturn hit in the worst ways. She is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and her defiant younger sister. When she is offered a steady salary, medical care for her entire family, and the chance of a lifetime on a new reality TV show, she can’t turn it down. The risks for this show get more extreme and the rewards continue to grow. The line between reality and TV are starting to blur, and soon Amy is asking herself what is worth risking her life. Kress captivates the reader from start to finish by creating characters that come to life within this gripping plot. This book is hard to put down!"—LMC

"Amy, 16; her sister; and their sick grandmother are just barely making ends meet since the “Collapse.” Amy works a low-paying job to cover the rent on their rundown apartment. When she stumbles into a job interview at a television station, she’s offered a spot on a new show called Who Knows People, Baby–You?–complete with a cash advance and full medical benefits for her family. In this new reality show, viewers vote on what they think the six participants from vastly different backgrounds will do in each new situation presented. The voters can win large sums of money for being good judges of human nature. But for the teens on the show, waiting for the next surprise scenario to unfold becomes extremely stressful. As interest in the show reaches a fever pitch, producers will stop at nothing to get the ratings they need, even putting the contestants in grave danger. This is a high-interest book, but the high page count will scare off reluctant readers. However, for those who get hooked, it is a real page-turner. Several of the teens on the show are true individuals, easy to remember and realistic in their responses to the scenarios. With the moral dilemmas it poses, both in interactions among the teens and on the part of the station’s adults, this would be an excellent novel to prompt discussions about reality TV and ethics."–SLJ

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Amy, 16; her sister; and their sick grandmother are just barely making ends meet since the "Collapse." Amy works a low-paying job to cover the rent on their rundown apartment. When she stumbles into a job interview at a television station, she's offered a spot on a new show called Who Knows People, Baby-You?-complete with a cash advance and full medical benefits for her family. In this new reality show, viewers vote on what they think the six participants from vastly different backgrounds will do in each new situation presented. The voters can win large sums of money for being good judges of human nature. But for the teens on the show, waiting for the next surprise scenario to unfold becomes extremely stressful. As interest in the show reaches a fever pitch, producers will stop at nothing to get the ratings they need, even putting the contestants in grave danger. This is a high-interest book, but the high page count will scare off reluctant readers. However, for those who get hooked, it is a real page-turner. Several of the teens on the show are true individuals, easy to remember and realistic in their responses to the scenarios. With the moral dilemmas it poses, both in interactions among the teens and on the part of the station's adults, this would be an excellent novel to prompt discussions about reality TV and ethics.—Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

School Library Journal

It’s Fear Factor meets The Running Man by way of the 99% in this tense drama, Hugo and Nebula–winning SF author Kress’s first book for teens, set in a near-future America after “The Collapse” brought widespread disease and poverty. Sixteen-year-old Amy Kent, desperate to provide for her family, signs up to star in a new reality show, Who Knows People, Baby—You?, in which contestants are exposed to stressful situations in their daily lives while viewers vote on the possible outcomes. As the scenarios become weirder and more dangerous, Amy and her fellow contestants find it increasingly difficult to tell what’s real and what’s staged, who’s legitimate and who’s a studio plant. Soon, they’re risking their lives—all the while tempted by popularity, success, and ever-higher bonuses—but economic riots and desperation threaten to push everyone to the breaking point. Sadly, the concept of this exploitative reality show is entirely believable, as is the financially ruinous setting. Strong characterization rounds out this unsettling thriller, although the resolution lacks oomph given all the buildup. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Breakneck, twisty plot. The day-after-tomorrow setting, anchored by brand-name allusions and crises ripped from the headlines, adds both eerie familiarity and terrifying plausibility.”—Kirkus Reviews

“High energy momentum that will keep the pages turning… readers really will want to find out what happens to their faves.”—Booklist
"During an economic downturn there is always a flash point, when things can either get better or become a complete disaster. Amy, a teenager during the flash point, had dreams of an academic future until the downturn hit in the worst ways. She is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and her defiant younger sister. When she is offered a steady salary, medical care for her entire family, and the chance of a lifetime on a new reality TV show, she can’t turn it down. The risks for this show get more extreme and the rewards continue to grow. The line between reality and TV are starting to blur, and soon Amy is asking herself what is worth risking her life. Kress captivates the reader from start to finish by creating characters that come to life within this gripping plot. This book is hard to put down!"—LMC

"Amy, 16; her sister; and their sick grandmother are just barely making ends meet since the “Collapse.” Amy works a low-paying job to cover the rent on their rundown apartment. When she stumbles into a job interview at a television station, she’s offered a spot on a new show called Who Knows People, Baby–You?–complete with a cash advance and full medical benefits for her family. In this new reality show, viewers vote on what they think the six participants from vastly different backgrounds will do in each new situation presented. The voters can win large sums of money for being good judges of human nature. But for the teens on the show, waiting for the next surprise scenario to unfold becomes extremely stressful. As interest in the show reaches a fever pitch, producers will stop at nothing to get the ratings they need, even putting the contestants in grave danger. This is a high-interest book, but the high page count will scare off reluctant readers. However, for those who get hooked, it is a real page-turner. Several of the teens on the show are true individuals, easy to remember and realistic in their responses to the scenarios. With the moral dilemmas it poses, both in interactions among the teens and on the part of the station’s adults, this would be an excellent novel to prompt discussions about reality TV and ethics."–SLJ

From the Publisher

In an idea-packed near-future thriller, reality TV pits teens against increasingly deadly virtual traps. Amy Kent is only 16, and she's bone-weary of the responsibility of supporting her resentful younger sister and terminally ill Gran. But the global economic collapse has left most people in desperate straits, so when Amy gets a chance for good pay with family medical benefits, she grabs at it despite her doubts. As one of seven teenagers on Who Knows People, Baby--You?, she is under constant camera surveillance that allows viewers to compete to predict how each cast member will respond to unexpected situations. But as ratings pressures and political tensions mount, the scenarios become more dangerous, and Amy and the rest become less and less certain of what is staged, what is real and whom to trust. The theme of corrupt adults manipulating youth into violence and death to entertain a decadent audience will inevitably invite comparisons to the Hunger Games trilogy, as will the breakneck, twisty plot. The day-after-tomorrow setting, anchored by brand-name allusions and crises ripped from the headlines, adds both eerie familiarity and terrifying plausibility. Most striking, though, is the complex characterization, with its emphatic insistence that no one--hero or villain--is anything less than a complicated mixture of good and bad, strength and weakness, compassion and selfishness. While the adrenaline rush will draw readers in, it's the unsettling question posed by the program title that will linger. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews