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The Rules Have Changed

The Rules Have Changed

By (author): Lesley Choyce
Fiction Ages 12+
Pages: 120
Themes: xenophobia, rebellion, brainwashing, independent thought, governmental control
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: 19/Jan/2021
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PB
ISBN:9781459826823
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After three years abroad, sixteen-year-old Blake Pendleton returns to his old high school and is shocked to find that the world he knew has turned upside down. Everyone wears a military-style uniform now and Blake soon learns the hard way that independence in any form is not encouraged. After questioning something his teacher tells him, he gets locked up in an isolation room.

Once he’s released, Blake goes looking for allies and finds Ming and Gina, two students who have learned how to play along. From them, Blake learns about the school’s “induction education,” a mind-training program set up by the government to train students to be teachers, cops and other types of community leaders. It’s brainwashing and job training all in one. Somehow, Blake and his new friends must find a way to escape their predetermined fate. But who can they trust?

Kirkus Reviews
“Shows readers the shocking nature of extreme changes that crept up on everyone else. A chilling glimpse of life under authoritarian rule for reluctant readers.”
School Library Journal
“A solid hi-lo novel for students who would enjoy 1984 or The Hunger Games.”
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“A compelling read, one that rings just a little too true to the current political climate in North America. It is a novel that will make readers stop and think about what the future holds and how they can choose to affect it. Highly Recommended.”