Fake

A thrillingly paced, timely novel about identity and our digital lives from the award-winning author of Refugee 87

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Book—2024-2025 for Grades 6-8

Imagine a world where your only friends are virtual, and big tech companies control access to food, healthcare and leisure. This is Jess's world.

But when she turns fourteen, Jess can go to school with other children for the first time. Most of them hate the 'real' world, but Jess begins to question whether the digital world is 'perfect' after all.

Back home, her sister Chloe's life-saving medication is getting ever more expensive. Determined to help, Jess risks everything by using skills forbidden in the cyber-world, only to stumble on something explosive. Something that will turn her whole world upside down.

It's up to Jess to figure out exactly what is real, and what is fake – Chloe's survival depends on it.Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee

“A compelling and provocative novel for 10+, asking searching questions about our own online ways of living” — Guardian

“An all-too-real thriller for the mature end of the age range” — Observer

“A compellingly-told modern fable.” — Katya Balen, author of The Space We're In

“I loved this future world... packed with adventure, heart and human emotions” — Ross Welford, author of The 1,000 Year Old Boy
Ele Fountain worked as an editor in children's publishing where she helped launch and nurture the careers of many prize-winning and bestselling authors. Ele's debut novel, Boy 87 (published in the US as Refugee 87), won four awards and was nominated for nine more, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Her novel Fake garnered teh 2024-2025 Sunshine State Award for Young Readers. She lives in Hampshire with her husband and two daughters.