The Limit by Kristen Landon
Reviewed by AimeeRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Violence: A girl is taken from a school. It is said they used a tranquilizer dart to take her. Matt is grabbed, forced into a car and taken away while his mother and sisters watch. Matt tries to break out of the workhouse. He starts a fire and then is chased down. Matt gets angry and throws a computer against the wall along with some other things, trying to break them. Some kids are held hostage in the basement by a woman with a gun. A lady is tied up.
Sexual Content: A boy and a girl kiss. The kiss is later referred to and remembered by both. Matt is with a woman whose legs “stretched out in front of her.” He says he peeked at them.
Adult Themes: Parents are given a spending limit and if they go over their limit, their kids are taken away from them in order to work off the debts.
Synopsis
Can you imagine a world where adults are given a spending limit and if they go over the limit, the government takes their children away to a workhouse to work off the debt? Well, Matt can. This is exactly what happened to him. His parents were irresponsible with their spending and now he is paying for it. Fortunately for Matt, his mathematical and problem solving abilities helped him test very high and he ended up working on the top floor with a posh room to himself, an indoor pool and even an arcade! Matt starts to realize that things are not what they appear to be and is determined to unlock the secrets behind the workhouse, but not everyone is happy with his snooping and escape attempts. When Matt’s younger sister appears at the workhouse as well, he knows he has to do something to stop the madness.
Kristen Landon has done a great job at writing a middle grade novel that introduces kids to the dystopian genre. The story moves along quickly. I found Matt to be a very believable thirteen-year- old character, displaying traits typical to that age. Booklist and School Library Journal give a recommended reading level of 6th-10th grade, and the book says ages 9-12. I thought this was spot on. The story is easy to follow and understand. If you have a reluctant boy reader in this age group, this might be just the book for him.