Scripted

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY FEB 9, 2015

Nettie has always lived on Bliss Island, where she and other "Characters" are filmed for a reality show that has gone on for generations. She knows that the powerful production company Media1 manipulates her world: the weather is often fake, she must occasionally reshoot scenes, and when Media1 removes Characters with poor ratings, no one is supposed to speak of them again. When Nettie gets a new producer, he bribes her with ways "to provide the Audience with the captivating entertainment it craves," but when his suggestions become mandatory, Nettie must learn to do her own plotting, especially as she starts piecing together what happens when Characters are cut from the show. As a protagonist, Nettie feels underdeveloped (while she says she likes "building gadgets," this detail scarcely figures into the story). But debut author (and former literary agent) Rock has both an unsettling, thought-provoking premise and a way with details, such as the "style motifs" Media1 announces ("The motif for the seventy-third season of Blissful Days is voxless.... Voxless is delicate yet strong"), forcing Characters to change their fashions, furniture, and more. Ages 12-up.