BUILDING 903 by Lois Lowry

4 stars

Lowry’s dystopian latest takes us to 2099 with an tyrannical, surveillance-based government that controls and attempts to brainwash all the people living within its’ territory. Books have been outlawed, music made illegal, surveillance cameras are everywhere, and playgrounds have been made obsolete. Zokiris, the authoritarian leader for decades, has prohibited storytelling, imagination and hope.

14-year-old Tessa’s twin brother Theo suddenly went missing two months prior, and the Tessa and her mom and dad desperately want to find him. Even Theo’s name has been erased from the list of the territory’s statistics. But with her dad locked up in his study working on some secret project for the government, and her mom seldom around, it falls to Tessa to figure out what’s going on and how to figure out what happened to Theo.

Miriam, their smart 135-year-old neighbor and passionate gardener, helps Tessa out when she gives her a trove of contraband books. Miriam has taken the books out of a well-concealed hiding spot in her home right before the government sends her against her will to an old-age home that forbids any activities. Most of the old books have been long ago seized and all sent to Building 903 on the outskirts of town. Miriam is the novel’s most powerful figure, with the wisdom that comes from historical perspective of knowing a pre-authoritarian world, and she’s kept her independence from the government and let that nurture leading a rebellion.

Theo, who loved to secretly read, has become enmeshed with books connected to his father’s secret research project. Theo’s plot stretches credibility the most and ultimately takes away from the amazing world building Lowry has achieved.

You come away from the novel with a profound appreciation of freedom from an oppressive government and hope for the future of humanity.

Thanks to Harper Collins Children’s Books and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.