{"product_id":"hullmetal-girls-isbn-9781524770198","title":"Hullmetal Girls","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of \u003ci\u003eBonds of Brass\u003c\/i\u003e, don't miss Hullmetal Girls, which \u003ci\u003eNPR \u003c\/i\u003ecalls\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \"a little \u003ci\u003eEnder's Game\u003c\/i\u003e, a little \u003ci\u003eHunger Games\u003c\/i\u003e, [and] a little \u003ci\u003eBattlestar Gallactica\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Aisha  Un-Haad would do anything for her family. When her brother contracts a  plague, she knows her janitor's salary isn't enough to fund his  treatment. So she volunteers to become a Scela, a mechanically enhanced  soldier sworn to protect and serve the governing body of the Fleet, the  collective of starships they call home. If Aisha can survive the  harrowing modifications and earn an elite place in the Scela ranks, she  may be able to save her brother. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKey Tanaka awakens in a Scela  body with only hazy memories of her life before. She knows she's from  the privileged end of the Fleet, but she has no recollection of why she  chose to give up a life of luxury to become a hulking cyborg soldier. If  she can make it through the training, she might have a shot at  recovering her missing past. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a unit of new recruits vying for  top placement, Aisha's and Key's paths collide, and the two must learn  to work together--a tall order for girls from opposite ends of the  Fleet. But a rebellion is stirring, pitting those who yearn for  independence from the Fleet against a government struggling to maintian  unity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith violence brewing and dark secrets surfacing, Aisha  and Key find themselves questioning their loyalties. They will have to  put aside their differences, though, if they want to keep humanity from  tearing itself apart. \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eFilled with badass girls and epic adventures\u003c\/b\u003e…this one's guaranteed to take you on a ride.”—\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA captivating sci-fi adventure\u003c\/b\u003e that will make you fall madly for Skrutskie's fabulous writing, if you haven't already. \u003cb\u003e[Perfect] for fans of: Cindy Pon \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e(\u003ci\u003eWant\u003c\/i\u003e) and Pierce Brown (\u003ci\u003eRed Rising\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\"-\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e-\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA book you will devour in one sitting\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls\u003c\/i\u003e is not to be missed!\"—\u003cb\u003eBeth Revis\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA World Without You\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAcross the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls\u003c\/i\u003e has everything I love\u003c\/b\u003e in a space opera: deep faith, high stakes, endless questions about  humanity, and a cast that shows the best (and less-best) of what we  might become.\" -\u003cb\u003eE.K. Johnston\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of\u003ci\u003e That Inevitable Victorian Thing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e★ \u003c\/b\u003e\"Unexpected and clever...\u003cb\u003eA great science fiction story.\u003c\/b\u003e\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVOYA\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eAn engaging narrative\u003c\/b\u003e with a complex cast that intersects race, sexual identity, religion, and class.\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003ePaste Magazine \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eA little \u003ci\u003eEnder's Game\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003elittle Hunger Games\u003c\/i\u003e, a little \u003ci\u003eBattlestar Gallactica\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, and a touch of ‘what if the Borg were teenagers and only partially assimilated?’ \u003cb\u003eAmazingly, it works.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eFilled with badass girls and epic adventures…this one's guaranteed to take you on a ride.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \"From the badass cybernetics to the space opera politics, there is so much to adore about \u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls\u003c\/i\u003e. It’s \u003cb\u003ea captivating sci-fi adventure\u003c\/b\u003e that will make you fall madly for Skrutski’s fabulous writing, if you haven’t already. \u003cb\u003e[Perfect] for fans of: Cindy Pon (\u003ci\u003eWant\u003c\/i\u003e) and Pierce Brown (\u003ci\u003eRed Rising\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e.\"—\u003ci\u003ePaste\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e★ \u003c\/b\u003e\"An \u003cb\u003eunexpected and clever\u003c\/b\u003e story that is difficult to put down. Skrutskie's cast of characters, including the adults, is very well developed...[as they] unravel the mystery at the heart of their society....\u003cb\u003eA great science fiction story.\u003c\/b\u003e\"—\u003ci\u003eVOYA\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review \u003cbr\u003e \"Near \u003cb\u003eperfection\u003c\/b\u003e.\" –\u003ci\u003eBulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003e[An] exciting standalone\u003c\/b\u003e...full of shifting allegiances...[and] ethnically diverse main characters with a range of sexual identities.\"—\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eAn engaging narrative with a complex cast that intersects race, sexual identity, religion, and class.\u003c\/b\u003e\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Emily Skrutskie's complex, space-based post-apocalyptic world is...a \u003cb\u003egripping and intelligent\u003c\/b\u003e young adult read.\"—\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Packed with diverse characters...and [with] much of the story's conflict stems from class-based tension, Skrutskie's examination of what defines humanity, family, and free will makes this \u003cb\u003ean engaging, satisfying story.\u003c\/b\u003e\"—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"[Skrutskie's] created \u003cb\u003ea fully realized world.\u003c\/b\u003e..and the diversity of ethnicities, sexualities, genders, and religions is seamlessly integrated into the story.\"—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls\u003c\/i\u003e has everything I love in a space opera\u003c\/b\u003e: deep faith, high stakes, endless questions about humanity, and a cast that shows the best (and less-best) of what we might become.\"—E.K. Johnston, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of\u003ci\u003e That Inevitable Victorian Thing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eA book you will devour in one sitting\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls\u003c\/i\u003e is not to be missed!\"—Beth Revis, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA World Without You\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAcross the Universe\u003c\/i\u003eEmily Skrutskie  was born in Massachusetts, raised in Virginia, and forged in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado. She attended Cornell University and now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Emily is the author of \u003ci\u003eHullmetal Girls, The Abyss Surrounds Us,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Edge of the Abyss.\u003c\/i\u003e To learn more about her and her books, go to skrutskie.com or follow @skrutskie on Twitter and Instagram.\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eAISHA\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the quiet of the early morning, before the \u003ci\u003eReliant\u003c\/i\u003e’s lights begin to glow, I plan two funerals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first is for my little brother. Amar lies in the far corner of the room, a mask over his face to keep him from breathing his affliction into the rest of us. He’s mercifully asleep, and part of me hopes he’ll stay that way until I leave. With the wasting fever’s claws in his tiny body, he needs every moment of rest he can get. His funeral—-\u003ci\u003eif it happens, if the worst happens, if I fail\u003c\/i\u003e—-will be a proper Ledic ceremony. A temple service, a reading from the scripture, a procession to the airlock. Prayers for his soul’s journey following him into the vacuum of space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second funeral is my own. All it takes is the scratch of my initials at the bottom of a datapad. There will be no service, no scripture, no procession for me. If I don’t survive the procedure, my body will be incinerated before anyone has a chance to pray over it. There’s an option to return a portion of the ashes to the \u003ci\u003eReliant,\u003c\/i\u003e but there are no half measures with a true Ledic burial. I’ve accepted that I’ll never get one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Aisha?” I turn to the door, where my aunt Yasmin stands silhouetted by the light in the hall. Her hair is loose from its usual plait, and it makes her even more of a stranger than she already is. “Did you sleep?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI shake my head, holding up the datapad. Yasmin slips into the dark of the room and pulls it out of my hands. The glow of the screen deepens the wrinkles at the edge of her eyes and swells the dark bags beneath them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen she reaches the end of the page, she gives me a sharp look. “You’re sure?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI flinch. Of course I’m not sure. Of course I’m scared to pieces. Ever since I showed up on her doorstep mere hours ago, she’s been asking variants on the same question. \u003ci\u003eAren’t there other options? Is this really what Amar needs? You know there’s no coming back from this, right?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy empty stomach keens, and I swallow back the sour taste in my throat. Fasting to conserve money for Amar bled easily enough into fasting for the surgery. Between that and the recent recruiting drive, it almost feels like fate. Providence. A sign I’m meant to walk down this path. None of that is enough to pull the fear out of my heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo I’ll just have to do it scared. “This is everything you’ll need to get the first payments,” I say, nodding to the datapad. “And instructions for if . . .”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA glance at the corner of the room finishes the sentence I can’t bring myself to end. Silence settles over us, broken only by the slight noises of Amar breathing against the mask and the deeper, ever--present hum of starship machinery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Aisha,” Yasmin starts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI sink my face in my hands, my fingers pushing back the edge of my headscarf. “Don’t,” I breathe. There are no better options, and even if there were, there wouldn’t be time to take them. At the rate Amar’s illness is progressing, he’ll be sent into quarantine aboard the starship \u003ci\u003ePanacea\u003c\/i\u003e before any treatment I can afford will take hold. And if he goes into quarantine, he won’t survive it. I can’t let Yasmin sway me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut instead of wheedling, her voice drops low and urgent. “There’s something I need your help with. After you’re . . .”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis morning is filled with sentences we can’t seem to finish. I pull my hands down over my mouth, breathing out my nose into the space between my fingers. Wariness tugs at me, nudging through the quiet terror that’s kept me up all night. “What is it?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the half--light from the hall, I can’t quite read her expression. My aunt purses her lips, her brows lowering. “I need you to—-”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sudden burst of coughing from the corner of the room interrupts us. I push past Yasmin, dropping to my knees at my brother’s side as he shudders back into consciousness. “Easy, easy,” I whisper, pulling the bottom of my headscarf up over my nose. Love and revulsion wage war inside me, but in the end I know I can’t touch him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmar blinks slowly. His eyes are slightly gummed at the edges. Furious purple tracks run down his face, the undeniable marks of the disease etched into his skin. “Hurts,” he keens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYasmin’s hand lands on my shoulder. “The shuttle leaves soon. I’ll go get Malikah up to say good--bye.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI nod, trying to keep my breathing shallow as my heart balloons inside my chest. With no sleep and no food in my stomach, I’m struggling to grasp the reality of this moment. \u003ci\u003eThis is happening,\u003c\/i\u003e I tell myself. \u003ci\u003eI’ve made my choice. I can’t back down.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYasmin slips out the door, leaving it open so the light floods in. Amar’s eyes roll as he takes in the room—-sparse décor, threadbare red drapery, the ceiling cracked in unfamiliar places. “Where are we?” he whimpers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI clamp my free hand under my arm to keep from reaching out and brushing away the hair plastered to his sweaty forehead. “We went to Yasmin’s,” I tell him softly. “She’s going to look after you now. She’ll make sure you get better.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis face screws up with alarm. “You’re leaving?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI make soft shushing noises into the fabric of my headscarf. “I have to go. I . . .” I hesitate, stuck on how I can explain the economics of my choice to a six--year--old without sounding like I’m blaming him for what’s about to happen. He’s too sick for me to leave him alone anymore, but my janitor’s salary isn’t enough to pay for his care. “I’m taking care of the money, so you don’t have to worry and Malikah doesn’t have to work.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI don’t specify \u003ci\u003ehow\u003c\/i\u003e I’m taking care of things. In his feverish state, it’ll only be fuel for nightmares that his weakened body might not be able to handle. It’s best for him to rest now, which means it’s best I get out of here fast. I bow my head, breathing out a soft prayer as Amar’s eyelids droop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” I promise him. “I’ll just . . . I’ll just be a little taller.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey take Pascao into the surgery before me, and fifteen minutes later, they’re wheeling out his broken, twisted body.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe’s the fourth person to die today, but the first I remembered to pray for. Guilt hums through me, and I duck my head as the gurney trundles past and veers down the hall to the incinerator. Pascao gave up his seat for me when I arrived in the overcrowded waiting room. He helped me read the orientation docs, filling in the places where my vocabulary failed and puzzling with me over what things like \u003ci\u003epurity of integration\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ebiostasis\u003c\/i\u003e meant. He smiled a lot, and he was volunteering for similar reasons—-a family in need, a sense of duty. I tell myself that’s why I prayed for him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI’m lying, though. If those were my reasons, I’d be muttering strains for everyone in this line. With unrest growing in the Fleet and a slew of Fractionist rebels arrested just last week, the General Body has launched a recruitment drive. The waiting room is crowded with desperate people answering the call, and every single person here runs the same risk as Pascao.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut I prayed for the old man because I needed the distraction. It isn’t even fair of me to call him “old man.” He certainly isn’t anywhere near the ideal recruitment age, but he’s only in his late forties. \u003ci\u003eWas\u003c\/i\u003e only in his late forties when they tried to strap an exo-rig on him and it snapped him in half. I prayed for him because \u003ci\u003eI’m\u003c\/i\u003e next in line.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut prayer can’t do anything for the Godless grip of Scela machinery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Delacorte Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300595421413,"sku":"NP9781524770198","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781524770198.jpg?v=1767729517","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/hullmetal-girls-isbn-9781524770198","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}