Overview
Martin lives in a perfect world.
Every year a new generation of genetically-engineered children is shipped out to meet their parents. Every spring the residents of his town take down the snow they've stuck to their windows and put up flowers. Every morning his family gathers around their television and votes, like everyone else, for whatever matter of national importance the president has on the table. Today, it is the color of his drapes. It's business as usual under the protective dome of suburb HM1.
And it's all about to come crashing down.
Because a stranger has come to take away all the little children, including Martin's sister, Cassie, and no one wants to talk about where she has gone. The way Martin sees it, he has a choice. He can remain in the dubious safety of HM1, with danger that no one wants to talk about lurking just beneath the surface, or he can actually break out of the suburb, into the mysterious land outside, rumored to be nothing but blowing sand for miles upon miles.
Acclaimed author Clare B. Dunkle has crafted a fresh and fast-paced science-fiction thriller, one that challenges her characters — and her readers — to look closer at the world they take for granted.
Synopsis
Martin lives in a perfect world.
Every year a new generation of genetically-engineered children is shipped out to meet their parents. Every spring the residents of his town take down the snow they've stuck to their windows and put up flowers. Every morning his family gathers around their television and votes, like everyone else, for whatever matter of national importance the president has on the table. Today, it is the color of his drapes. It's business as usual under the protective dome of suburb HM1.
And it's all about to come crashing down.
Because a stranger has come to take away all the little children, including Martin's sister, Cassie, and no one wants to talk about where she has gone. The way Martin sees it, he has a choice. He can remain in the dubious safety of HM1, with danger that no one wants to talk about lurking just beneath the surface, or he can actually break out of the suburb, into the mysterious land outside, rumored to be nothing but blowing sand for miles upon miles.
Acclaimed author Clare B. Dunkle has crafted a fresh and fast-paced science-fiction thriller, one that challenges her characters — and her readers — to look closer at the world they take for granted.
Children's Literature
Martin lives in the suburb with his mom, dad, and little sister. But this is where normality ends. The suburb is an enclosed community within the protection of a large dome. Martin has never been outside its limits because the outside is an uninhabitable wasteland. Or so he has been told. His little sister Cassie is one of the "wonder babies," a genetically-engineered, child prodigy model. She is one of a series of children purchased by the inhabitants of the suburb. She and Martin are fully human and are separate child models created in a lab with specific traits. But unlike Martin the wonder babies have dangerous glitches. The children are far too inquisitive and far too self-sufficient for an enclosed world where blind acceptance and gratitude are the norm. As a result, the wonder babies are being taken away to a special school. But Martin cannot stand the idea of never seeing his little sister again, so he sets out to the find her outside the protection of the suburb. What he finds outside is life-altering. This book caught me from the beginning. The pace is quick and the atmosphere is disturbing in its seeming normality. Martin is a strong and likable character. The alternate world created by the author is filled with mystery. It pulled me to read on with the hope of finding some answers. And though this book remains a strong fantasy, sci-fi text, it lost my interest. It all started with the multi-purpose character of "Chip." A cyber-dog, he became the character that did anything and everything to keep the story going. If Martin fell into trouble, Chip magically developed the sudden ability to get him out of it. In spite of these weaknesses, this reviewer can still recommend thisimaginative book. Reviewer: Monserrat Urena
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Martin lives in the suburb with his mom, dad, and little sister. But this is where normality ends. The suburb is an enclosed community within the protection of a large dome. Martin has never been outside its limits because the outside is an uninhabitable wasteland. Or so he has been told. His little sister Cassie is one of the "wonder babies," a genetically-engineered, child prodigy model. She is one of a series of children purchased by the inhabitants of the suburb. She and Martin are fully human and are separate child models created in a lab with specific traits. But unlike Martin the wonder babies have dangerous glitches. The children are far too inquisitive and far too self-sufficient for an enclosed world where blind acceptance and gratitude are the norm. As a result, the wonder babies are being taken away to a special school. But Martin cannot stand the idea of never seeing his little sister again, so he sets out to the find her outside the protection of the suburb. What he finds outside is life-altering. This book caught me from the beginning. The pace is quick and the atmosphere is disturbing in its seeming normality. Martin is a strong and likable character. The alternate world created by the author is filled with mystery. It pulled me to read on with the hope of finding some answers. And though this book remains a strong fantasy, sci-fi text, it lost my interest. It all started with the multi-purpose character of "Chip." A cyber-dog, he became the character that did anything and everything to keep the story going. If Martin fell into trouble, Chip magically developed the sudden ability to get him out of it. In spite of these weaknesses, this reviewer can still recommend thisimaginative book. Reviewer: Monserrat UrenaVOYA -
Don't ask questions! We're the lucky ones. Thirteen-year-old Martin Glass has heard those words every day since arriving as an infant in suburb HM1. The neighborhood consists of identical homes underneath a giant blue dome, where an unseen government has mechanized life and death and everything in between to sterile precision. Surveillance is tacitly acknowledged, even though no one dares discuss it openly. Those who do ask questions end up on television game shows where executioners mete out punishment in the guise of entertainment. One day a stranger arrives to remove the genetically engineered "Wonder Babies" from the dome, including Martin's inquisitive six-year-old sister, as part of an ominous "product recall." Martin decides to do what few have ever done-he escapes HM1 to rescue his sister. With the assistance of his faithful robot dog, Martin discovers in the wilderness the truth about the dome and the brutality of the artificial environment he has left behind. Despite excessive allusions to the mind-numbing potential of technology, the novel successfully explores the dangers of despotism and the role that an uninformed citizenry can have in furthering oppression. Middle grade readers will connect readily with the well-written character of Martin, whose sensitive portrayal evokes a message of hope and optimism. The story is comparable in tone and content to the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix and to Holes by Louis Sachar (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998/VOYA December 1998). Reviewer: Christina FairmanSchool Library Journal
Gr 5-8- A mediocre science-fiction novel from a wonderful fantasy writer. The setting, a domed suburb in some distant future, seems far too familiar and worn out. Like many books before it, The Sky Inside paints a bleak future filled with mind-numbed people going about their days. And, as always, there is one child filled with the curiosity to break through the mind freeze and find his way into adventure. Dunkle's setting and plot may be overdone and trite, but her characters show her true writing ability. Thirteen-year-old Martin, his A.I. dog, and his sister are well-rounded and thought-provoking characters filled with imagination and real emotions. Fans of science fiction may enjoy the story, even though they've probably read it before.-Lisa Marie Williams, East Gwillimbury Public Library, Holland Landing, Ontario