ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Like books in Margaret Peterson Haddix's The Shadow Children series, Malley's gripping first novel imagines the ramifications of official population controls. Because a wonder drug prevents most deaths, the restriction in this dystopian England is especially severe: Signers of a special pact gained access to the drug but lost the right to procreate. Many regretful signers went on to bear illegal children, such as 14-year-old Surplus Anna, groomed from toddlerhood for a life of drudgery. Drawing a strong Jane Eyre flavor from the chilly, loveless facility where Anna learns how to "make up for . . . existing in the first place," the indoctrinated teen's awakening to massive injustice makes compulsive reading. The romance between Anna and another Surplus, actually a messenger from Anna's activist parents, is less involving, and the plot slips into soap opera at the sequel-ready conclusion. But Malley explores her premise along numerous fascinating lines, and the book will enjoy word-of-mouth popularity among teens whipped into a righteous fury over the notion of a world hijacked by selfish elders.

Horn Book

It's 2140. Drugs have conquered aging, critically straining Earth's resources and necessitating the Declaration, which bans most procreation. Through the identity quest of sixteen-year-old Anna, born despite the Declaration, readers learn how children are declared "Surplus," kidnapped, and brutally conditioned to believe that they're society's burden. This futuristic thriller, reminiscent of Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series, is thought-provoking.

Kirkus Reviews

A futuristic adventure reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro's adult novel Never Let Me Go . Anna is a "Surplus," an illegally born child. In 2140, medical breakthroughs have enabled eternal life, so there is no room in the world for children. Those, like Anna, who are born illegally are raised in Surplus Halls, where they are taught how to "Know Their Place" and become "Valuable Assets." Anna is grateful for her home in the freezing cold Surplus Hall, for her tiny shares of bad food and for the teachers who give her the skills she will need after graduation when she will work in forced labor for "Legal People." But Anna's comfortable world of Knowing Her Place is disrupted when a new Surplus arrives, a boy named Peter who claims to bring messages from Anna's parents. Peter challenges everything Anna has ever believed about society, nature and morality. Anna's adventure is well worth reading; this unreliable narrator's faith in her tormentors is thought-provoking and deeply sad. (Science fiction. 11-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Set in the year 2140 in England, this chilling dystopian tale explores issues of overpopulation, global warming and the ethics of immortality. A drug called Longevity has made life without death a reality for the masses—but driven humanity to the brink of a Malthusian catastrophe. Orwellian-like Authorities have all but outlawed procreation in an effort to stabilize the population. Those born illegally are inevitably captured, sent to processing facilities and taught to be Valuable Assets to society, i.e., slaves to the immortals. Surplus Anna has spent most of her 14 years inside Grange Hall, where she has learned to hate not only herself but also the parents who selfishly broke the Declaration in giving life to her. But the arrival of a rebellious Surplus named Peter, who has lived on the Outside, brings Anna disturbing revelations about the world and her particular place in it. In her first YA book, Malley (British author Gemma Townley writing under a pseudonym) successfully imparts a strong message about the need for continual change (“Nature is not about preserving old things, but about creating new ones. New life. New ideas”). Although the backstory and world-building elements seem slightly underdeveloped, readers with a taste for speculative fiction will enjoy this relevant read. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Nov.)

Voice of Youth Advocates

In 2140, no one dies of old age. Decades ago, a drug called Longevity was developed to prolong a life span indefinitely. People are encouraged to take the drug, and strict population controls are enforced. Children whose birth was not authorized are labeled Surplus, have no rights, and are taken by the State and trained to be servants and perform other menial tasks. Surplus Anna is getting ready at Grange Hall to become a Valuable Asset to a Legal household and thus make up for the sin of her unauthorized birth. Then a Surplus named Peter tells Anna that she is being lied to and that he has a plan to escape. Malley's world is fully realized and presents the logical outcome of a universe where everyone is immortal except for a manufactured underclass. As in Brave New World though, there is much more here than merely a dystopian science fiction novel. Malley uses this canvas to address topics as wide ranging as religion, government, and the power of the written word. This symbolism, however, does not get in the way of an excellent adventure story. After an opening in which the reader is introduced to Anna's world and its casual cruelty, the novel moves at a very fast pace. The ending is somewhat telegraphed early in the book, but most readers will find something to think about after they close the cover.-Steven Kral.