Wang-s smart, technocentric debut-Gossip Girl meets M.T. Anderson-s Feed-addresses identity, public perception, and social media skewering. Senior Kyle Cheng and her beautiful, popular friends are as loathed as they are adored at their swanky Brooklyn prep school. Kyle-s grades are top notch, and she excels in her extracurricular activities, but she has enemies; after someone releases a video of her having sex with a teacher it immediately goes viral and upends Kyle-s existence, even as she insists it-s fake. Wang sets Kyle-s story in the near future, inventing all-too-believable tech that has rendered privacy obsolete; -unplugging- is a concept of the distant past. Kyle has a memorable narrative voice that-s catty, funny, and somewhat detestable (-You-re probably not gonna like me,- she warns readers as the book begins), and Kyle-s determination to unmask her tormentor will have readers riveted. As Kyle grows increasingly famous, judged globally as both slut and feminist hero, Wang takes on stereotypes of women and girls while creating a vision of the future that will chill readers for its prescience. Ages 14-up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company. (Apr.)

Popular, high-achieving Kyla Cheng is on track to be valedictorian, but her life is thrown seriously off course when a doctored video of her having sex with a young teacher surfaces online and instantly goes viral. Desperate to clear her name, Kyla digs deep into the social networking world in this near-future Brooklyn-set novel that feels uncomfortably close to present-day realities.

High school senior Kyla Cheng admits from the start that she is unlikable. She and her friends are the typical “popular girls,” both admired and envied by their classmates. Kyla’s seemingly perfect life gets flipped, however, when a compromising video of her and a teacher goes viral. Though she knows that the female in the video is not her, nobody—not even her best friends—seem to believe her. What follows is a quick-moving, engaging story as Kyla tries to get her life back in order. Part cyberpunk mystery, part Mean Girls, the story is both familiar and unique. The Takedown takes place in the believable near-future, in which technology and social media have become an invasive, inescapable part of adolescence. The author exposes how influential online popularity is in this culture and how damaging it can be. There are no secrets, which makes Kyla’s struggle more exigent. The book has a strong feminist message as Kyla grows from slut-shaming other girls to understanding the value and power of female sexuality. By focusing on female empowerment and the topic of cyberbullying, Wang has crafted a modern, relevant story that most teens will find relatable. An engaging read on its own, this story could also be a relevant read in classrooms or with parents. While the text-speak dialogue may be jarring at first and side characters remain slightly flat, The Takedown is a significant and enjoyable story that would do well in a high school or public library.—Matt Pavloff.

A fresh take on a tired high school trope.Living in a technologically advanced near-future Brooklyn, 17-year-old Kyla Cheng, better known as Kyle, has it all: top grades, popularity, three fabulous best friends, and the attention of Mackenzie Rodriguez. But in one click, she risks losing everything when a video of her and her English teacher having sex surfaces. Even though Kyle knows the video is fake, no one else seems to believe her. As the views reach astronomical heights and Kyle ascends to internet infamy, her only option is to figure out how to take down the video—with or without the help of her friends. A key player in this mystery is the pervasive nature of technology and social media, which has boomed to encompass all aspects of life in the future. Wang brilliantly balances the complexity of lives lived online, teenage relationships and insecurities, and the double standard of slut shaming. In this world, and reflecting demographic projections, most people are multiracial, a fact which is sometimes strangely emphasized. A classmate who has two white parents is mockingly styled "Aryan Audra"; Kyle herself is half Chinese, half French. A thought-provoking, entertaining read, Wang's debut illustrates a future that is easily conceivable. (Science fiction. 14-18)

Park Prep senior Kyla Cheng owns her school: shoo-in for valedictorian, debate team champ, and one of a group of four popular girls who always have one another's back. She's also finally snagged the attention of reigning hottie Mac Rodriguez. Then a (fake) video of her having sex with the attractive English teacher turns up online and suddenly Kyla's facing trouble on every front. Wang's debut, set in a barely future Brooklyn, hinges on privacy and betrayal, with cleverly placed clues to guide the reader as Kyla searches for her unknown tormentor. Tech geeks will revel in the unapologetic computerspeak that permeates the text, as well as the humorous (and sometimes stereotyped but always positive) depiction of techies, female and male. In Wang's future world, one's cell phone takes on primary importance, something most teens can certainly identify with. Snappy dialogue, a keen empathy for the pressure cooker of high school, and a wryly self-conscious narrative tone combine for a page-turner that may feel dated in 10 years but is extremely relevant right now.