Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, New York: 2008
ISBN: 0-7653-1985-3

Plot Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Marcus Yallow is a former LARP-er who is now heavily into computer hacking in a world where his every move is under surveillance. He and his best friends Darryl, Vanessa, and Jolu play an ARG (alternate reality game) called Harajuku Fun Madness that requires they perform tasks around the city of San Francisco. One day a new tasks arrives while they are in class. Marcus convinces Darryl to ditch school with him, and they meet up with Vanessa and Jolu. They begin to search for a wifi connection when there is a loud explosion, which we learn was a terrible terrorist attack on the bay bridge. The group heads to the BART station, where Darryl is stabbed in the crowd. They go back above ground and are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security.

The group is taken in for questioning at what is later revealed to be Treasure Island, and abandoned military prison. After six days, Marcus has revealed all his passwords to his phone and e-mail accounts and is finally set free. Vanessa and Jolu are released, but Darryl is no where to be found. They do not tell their parents where they have been because they have been warned not to by the DHS. Marcus vows to get revenge on them, and after finding out his laptop has been bugged, he hacks into his Xbox and creates a completely encrypted "Xnet" that uses Wifi connections that the DHS cannot read.

As the Xnet grows in popularity, Marcus, or "M1k3y" becomes a cult figure. The DHS has stepped up surveillance in the city, but Marcus and the rest of the Xnetters cause chaos by switching arphids on Fastrac passes and BART cards, trying to prove that the DHS is not catching any terrorists with their extreme surveillance measures. Eventually Jolu and Vanessa get scared of what Marcus is doing and drop out. Marcus meets Ange, and they become a couple. Finally, Marcus breakdowns and tells his parents that he was really in prison the six days after the terrorist attack, and they take him to an investigative journalist who writes a story about Marcus and the Xnet. This leads to Marcus's capture and he is taken prisoner again. However, Vanessa has provided the journalist with proof of what is going on in the prison, and the governor kicks the DHS out of the city, setting Marcus free, but not before he has been tortured again.

Critical Evaluation:
This was a very exciting book. I'd read it before bed and end up having dreams about what Marcus was going to do next. It's a classic cat-and-mouse story, but with a cyber-terrorism twist that makes it incredibly timely. At times it was pretty didactic--mostly when Marcus is in his social studies class debating the Bill of Rights, or learning about San Francisco's political history, or when he decides to write a paper on Jack Kerouac. However, I can look past the lessons because I think a teen reading this book would be interested in learning these things, just like Marcus was.

I, on the other hand, was fascinated by all the tech talk. I'm not completely illiterate when it comes to computers, but I don't sit around thinking of ways to hack into them either. I enjoyed how Marcus broke down everything he was doing. I felt like I learned a whole lot--though how much of it was based on fact, I'm not sure. It sounded plausible enough though. I feel much smarter about computer security now.

The book was well-written and fast-paced. I think it would be an enjoyable read for many teens who would find much to relate to in the story. It's exciting (and scary) to imagine a teenager could be responsible for bringing down the Department of Homeland Security. It certainly gives the reader much to think about.

Reader’s Annotation:
All Marcus Yallow wanted to do was play some Harajuku Fun Madness. When terrorists decide to blow up the Bay Bridge, he is taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security. They think they know who they're dealing with, but they have no idea.

Information about the Author:
Cory Doctorow is the co-editor of the blog Boing Boing and a science fiction writer from Canada. His other books include Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and A Place So Foreign and Eight More. He has won multiple awards, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award for Little Brother.

Genre: fiction

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Marcus and his hacking hobby. How his school is under extreme surveillance and he manages to get around it. Then I would talk about the terrorist attack and how he and his friends are arrested, released, and begin their own cyber war on the Department of Homeland Security.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This books is appropriate for older teens, ages 16 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book would be challenged for its questioning of the government, depiction of torture, some sexuality, and the author encouraging hacking (in the afterword). I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this book:
This book was required reading for class, and I'm glad to have read it. It will certainly be one I recommend to teens.