A future world battered by climate change, war, and deprivation introduced in Ship Breaker (Little, Brown, 2010) continues to emerge as the story moves from the Gulf coast to the area in and around Washington, D.C., now a partially submerged city. Warlords and their troops of boy soldiers battle for dominance with non-stop guerilla hostilities. Mahlia, a “war maggot,” recently lost a hand to soldiers, but her friend Mouse saved her from losing more. Now Mouse is in danger—he’s been forcibly inducted into a squad of soldier boys—and Mahlia is determined to rescue him. With the assistance of Tool, an enigmatic bioengineered being with whom she forges an unlikely alliance, Mahlia is able to track Mouse—but not before he’s been indoctrinated into the soldier boy ranks. Soon all three are ensnared in the rising chaos as two powerful factions fight for supremacy in a setting haunted by U.S. historical artifacts. Chapters alternate between Mahlia’s, Mouse’s, and Tool’s perspectives, and the contrast of the three creates tension and works to efficiently develop the narrative. The characters struggle to balance loyalty and patriotism with the immediacy of self-preservation in a novel that offers equal parts action and introspection. (Age 13 and older)

Soldier boys emerged from the darkness. Guns gleamed dully. Bullet bandoliers and scars draped their bare chests. Ugly brands scored their faces. She knew why these soldier boys had come. She knew what they sought, and she knew, too, that if they found it, her best friend would surely die.

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

This thrilling companion to Paolo Bacigalupi's highly acclaimed Ship Breaker is a haunting and powerful story of loyalty, survival, and heart-pounding adventure.