If this book is an example of what "Young Adult" readers think is good (see the high marks by Rebecca), I would be insulted. I think young readers of science fiction are more likely to have limitations of attention span than a need to identify with shallow characters and weak plots. I could (and have!) re-read classic "youth" fiction from Heinlein like Podykane of Mars, Starman Jones, and Citizen of the Galaxy as an adult and they still entertain. For other readers to review it poorly, then say it would be great for youthful readers, is unfair to our youth.

As a teacher and writer of young adult novels, I have to say that I was very excited by the idea that one of the most brilliant authors of speculative fiction, Nancy Kress, was going to try her hand at a young adult novel. Using David Brin's setup (and when will he get around to writing one, hmmm?), Kress unfortunately populates her story with overly simplistic characters, motivations, and plot events. The novel reads as if she's slumming, and completely oblivious of the revolution in young adult fiction that has taken place in the last twenty years. Anybody who has read Cynthia Voigt's "The Runner" or any of Chris Crutcher's books would know that you don't write down to kids -- you write up to them. What makes it even worse is that within the origins of science fiction YA novels, Robert Heinlein set an example of complexity that makes them classic reads for young and old even today -- and, one suspects, for decades to come. What makes all this still worse is that Nancy Kress is married to one of the masters of today's science-fiction YA form, Charles Sheffield, whose Jupiter novels are absolutely first-rate reading. Having said all that, I do think there are some worthwhile moments in the novel: the rescue scene of the baby is done well, as is the overall tricking of the aliens. The main female protagonist rings a little truer than the male protagonist, although both are thoroughly cliched. The supporting cast is a bit less stereotyped, although not by much. Essentially, I would guess Kress got the novel past an editor who had no clue what YA novels are like these days (which her complaint about the marketing would seem to support). Hopefully, she will either give them up or bring her formidable talent into full play next time.

Yanked! tells an exciting story about teenagers from our time confronted with difficult challenges. Not only do they have to deal with a otherworldly situation (literally), but they also have to cope with people from the past and future who have very different views on life: a boy from the past who is a violent, dishonest fellow who is willing to trade people for property, and a robot from the future that can't deal with anything outside its normal experience. How the heroes from our time manage to achieve their goals in spite of these obstacles makes a fine tale.