Take Me with You

Tara Altebrando

Take Me with You
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Country
United States
Published
1 December 2020
Pages
384
ISBN
9781681197487

Take Me with You

Tara Altebrando

From the acclaimed author of The Leaving comes a new psychological thriller that challenges our trust in the electronic devices we keep close.

Eden, Eli, Marwan, and Ilanka barely know each other beyond having a class or two together. But when they are all summoned via messaging app to an empty classroom after school, they find a small cube sitting on a desk. Its sides light up with rules for them:

Do not tell anyone about the device. Never leave the device unattended.
And then, Take me with you … or else.

At first they think it’s some kind of prank or a social experiment orchestrated by the school administration. Still, they follow its instructions until the newly-formed group starts to splinter. Nobody has time for these games–their lives are complicated enough. But the device seems increasingly invested in the private details of their lives. And disobeying its rules has scary–even life-threatening–consequences …

This timely thriller probes our dependence on personal technology and challenges the notion that our devices are keeping us connected. The truth may very well be the opposite.

Review

Tara Altebrando’s latest sci-fi thriller is a fascinating look at the powers of technology and human behaviour under pressure. When four teenagers are called to a teacher’s office at school, the teacher never arrives but a strange black cube is waiting in the room. Confused, they are about to leave, but then the cube lights up. It displays the first of many rules: Do Not Tell Anyone About the Device; Do Not Leave the Device Unattended; Take Me With You – Or Else!

The four teenagers – Eden, Eli, Marwan and Ilanka – are very different, barely know one another and already have busy lives. But they quickly become bound together as the device creates more rules to follow, and manipulates their phones and other technological devices if they do not comply. As they try to keep up with its numerous demands, their increasingly erratic behaviour gets them in trouble at home. Marwan responds to anti-Muslim attacks on his father’s Egyptian restaurant, Eden faces inappropriate requests from a boy she kissed, and Ilanka must find a way to tell her Russian parents she no longer wants to continue her demanding gymnastics schedule. Meanwhile, Eli researches the device both online and at the library to find out where it comes from and what it wants from them.

This is an intriguing thriller that incorporates issues around digital technology, online behaviour and social media amid a backdrop of current cultural issues. The teenagers are well-drawn and engaging characters whose dilemmas feel decidedly real. Stimulating reading for ages 12+.


Angela Crocombe is the manager of Readings Kids.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 4 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.