Catfishing On CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

A box drops out of the sky. Steph opens it to find exactly what she needs to alter the sex education robot teacher in her school (the one that will not answer 'controversial' questions). Where did the box come from? Who sent it? It is not the first incident like this recently. It's like someone is following Steph's conversations online.

Steph's only friends are on CatNet, a social media site dedicated to cat pictures. She never has a chance to make friends at school because her mother makes them move every few months. Why you may ask? Because Steph's father tried to kill both of them in a house fire when she was young. Her online friends do not know what Steph looks like or where she lives because her mother forbids her to give out any personal info that could give away their location.

That might sound a little paranoid except that Steph's father is a computer expert, so keeping a low profile is best. Her mom is, too; she makes money by doing jobs remotely for an old friend.

Now about that mystery box: it turns out that CatNet is run by an AI, a sentient computer program who decides they want to help people and Steph in particular. Imagine a being following all your online activity - scary? Maybe, but this being can also track your father and hamper his search for you.

Steph is a really great character with good friends (including her new in person friend, Rachel) who support each other. There are lots of unanswered questions in her life that make for a suspenseful story.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Warcross by Marie Lu

Emika needs money to pay three months back rent or she and her roommate will get kicked out on the the street. Since the death of her father, the fastest way for her to make a lot of money is bounty hunting. Using her hacking skills she can hunt down a person who is not dangerous enough for the over worked police to find themselves. It's a tough job, but it pays well.

She hunts her latest shortly before the start of the International Warcross Tournament. Warcross is a interactive three dimensional virtual reality game that has swept the globe. Everyone can play, but only a few are professionals who play in the annual tournament.

Emika could never dream of being in the tournament due to her criminal record. Also, her ranking in Warcross is never high because she plays often under a different name. As the tournament begins, she decides to hack in to get a valuable power-up in the game and sell it. It is a decision that thrusts her into the international spotlight and gets the attention of Hideo, the game's creator. Emika has idolized Hideo for years. Now, she may get to meet him in person.

Emika's hunting and hacking skills may be just what Hideo needs to find someone else hacking the virtual world he created. The best way to do that...put Emika in the tournament.

This incredible story exists in a bleak world where most of the planet is caught up in Warcross. The technology is believable enough that it seems possible and may not be that far into the future. I recommend going along with Emika as she becomes immersed in the dangers of the game and the real world.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

Zero Day by Jan Gangsei

Addie Webster was eight years old when she was kidnapped from the governor's mansion. Darrow, her best friend, was the last person to see her. At the time, her dad was the governor. Now, eight year later, her father is the President of the United States, and Addie is back. She escaped her captors and is returned to her family to live in the White House.

So much has changed since Addie was taken. She has a sister who was born while she was away. Darrow is no longer the little boy she used to beat at games. Her parents have become very overprotective. They look at her like she could fall apart, but Addie kept herself alive for years without their help.

Around the same time Addie returns, terrorist attacks start happening in Washington DC, but with no injuries. Cerberus, the group taking responsibility, wants officials to see the flaws in their security systems before someone is hurt or killed.

To some, it is too much of a coincidence that Addie comes back at the same time that the attacks occur. Could they be related? Is Addie involved? It is only a matter of time before everyone is drawn into Cerberus' plot.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and author's site.

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

I find it interesting when two books have a similar premise and yet do something completely different with it. I recently read (and blogged) My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend. In it, a beautiful teen girl's face is permanently disfigured. Same with this story, but the similarities end there. This poor girl, Nicole, has acid thrown in her face in the school hallway. She has no idea who scarred her face for life or why they would do it.

Nicole does not return to school, but still sees the school psychiatrist. On her first visit, she meets our narrator Jay. She kind of knows who he is since during a pep rally freshman year he had a seizure in front of the whole school that included urinating on himself (and was posted on the web for anyone who missed it). The small connection between them as they wait in the school office causes Jay, a secret hacker, to decide he will figure out who harmed Nicole.

Jay is tall loner with long hair. He and his dad live alone in a shabby apartment on the edge of a school district of mostly wealthy families. He was home schooled after the seizure incident - not that his dad was much help. He returns to school to find it hasn't really changed much, including the bullies.

Jay has numerous suspects, but has trouble narrowing the list. He hacks e-mails, chat rooms, private files and government systems to get what info he needs. He also starts spending time with Nicole. The answers don't come easy, but Jay is willing to risk being arrested to find the perpetrator.

This is well thought out mystery where the answers are never obvious (at least to me). It is trip worth taking.

For more info about this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.