McCarthy, Cory. Under Pressure. B.E.S.T. World Series; bk. 2. Clarion, 11/2022. 194pp. Fiction. GRADES 5 – 8. $16.99. 978-0-35-836214-2. ADDITIONAL.
Imagine a world where teens have the option of having their body modified (augmented) with technology that gives them some aspect of superpowers: x-ray vision, flight, super brains, emotion reading, etc. Now add in a corporation that controls everything, including knowledge about success or failure rates of the human/technology hybrids, plus an outside group trying to expose the corporation. This is the type of future that is the B.E.S.T. World, in which Grayson, Leo, Jayla, and Ace are learning to handle possible (or actual) modifications as well as the politics and problems of this new world order. Several characters, including Leo, are nonbinary, though other racial or ethnic clues are limited. An interesting look at the future, as wearable technology becomes part of humans.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library