Book Review: The Limit

I purchased Kristen Landon's The Limit as my first e-book for my new NookColor I received for Christmas.

Matt is a thirteen year old math wiz who lives in a future society where family debt is managed by the government. When families go over their limit, a child is taken from them and put into a work house where that child helps work off the family's debt. Usually they don't take kids as young as Matt, but things are changing. Matt is taken. He discovers the work house is more like a prison and is lied to about many things, including his ability to contact his parents.

The book was classified as dystopic. I guess technically it could fit there. But it didn't have that dark feel I've come to expect in a dystopic novel. It was more like a mystery where the kids at the workhouse uncover the corrupt dealings of their own particular workhouse. If they had not been the victims of a corrupt workhouse, then life would have been fine--other workhouses were painted as a good thing. That is why it probably didn't feel dystopic.

I found the plot predictable and simple. The writing was heavy with gerunds. I reminded myself as I read, that it was, after all, a middle grade book. I did however, find myself enjoying the storyline and had a desire to keep reading. That is a good thing.

I can comfortably recommend it to kids 8 to 12. They would not be as critical as I, and it does have a story I feel would appeal to kids.