Book Review: The Haven

Knowing I would have time on my hands during my recent European excursion, I packed two books for the journey. They had to meet a few requirements - small enough to pack easily, not too heavy to enjoy in a distracted setting, and engaging enough to suck me in. The Haven held my interest far more than the previous title I carried and reviewed.

Shiloh lives at the Haven Hospital and Halls. It is all she's ever known, her entire world, because the outside world has been kept beyond the high walls that surround the complex. Although Shiloh knows that the chief goal is to keep each student healthy and sound as they fight off disease, she feels deep inside that something is not right, if only she could put her finger on what that something is. Gideon is determined to fight against the unknown evil and to see the truth triumph. But can he convince Shiloh to stop taking her medicine and see their world as he sees it? Can Shiloh really assist the others in their quest for freedom and independence?

With the flavor of Never Let Me Go, a 2005 dystopian science fiction novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro, The Haven is a simple story of teens cloned for their body parts. While Ishiguro's novel is certainly a more compelling and well-written version of this type of tale, The Haven presents an easy, interesting story for young adults. Published by Scholastic, it is a clean read sure to prompt great discussion.