In this timely addition to the "plague novel" shelves, the (seeming) misdelivery of a life-saving medicine prompts a sheltered preteen to leave her apartment for the very first time. It's been 50 years since a deadly pandemic drove millions of fearful survivors to isolate themselves within huge, entirely automated, doorless complexes. The only people Cleo has ever met are her loving parents, and the only way in or out of her home is the delivery chute through which food and other goods arrive. Nonetheless, she screws her courage to the sticking place and forces her way through it and into a frighteningly immense and (she supposes) contaminated outside. There are huge holes in the logic of both plot and setting, but so smart, funny, and vivid are the characters in this futuristic odyssey that few readers are likely to care. Cleo especially is a winner, gifted with wells of empathy and determination deep enough to weather wild mood swings, bouts of debilitating terror, life-threatening hazards, and more than one extreme challenge to her comfortable worldview.

A mission to save a life pushes a young girl to discover the world around her.In the not-too-distant future, the world goes into permanent self-isolation, with families living in massive tower blocks, sealed in separate apartments. Their only access to the outside is through drone-delivered supplies that arrive via tubes in their kitchens. While studying for her first test in the surgical candidate track, 12-year-old Cleo, who is White, receives a package with the right address, but the wrong name. Opening it and finding much-needed medical supplies, the young doctor-to-be breaks out of her apartment to try to locate and save the life of the medicine's rightful recipient. Accompanied by her electronic instruction tablet, Ms. VAIN, and a small observation drone, Cleo learns more about her world-inside the apartment and out-than she expected. Current readers will immediately draw parallels with the Covid-19 pandemic, but they'll also find a well-constructed and enjoyable adventure. The theme of storytelling, particularly the tale of "Little Red Riding Hood," is interwoven expertly. While the resolution may be wrapped a little too neatly for some readers, the thought-provoking material generated by questions of isolation, community, and privilege may make up for this. This novel would work especially well as an extended read-aloud, a choice for classroom discussion, or a book club selection.A topical read that's worth the attention. (Science fiction. 10-12)