Sarah Drew’s brisk narration immediately sets the tone for this fast-moving story of teens immersed in a series of potentially deadly contests in which they compete for a $67,000 prize. The plot focuses primarily on four teens, with their stories told in alternating chapters. Drew’s pacing slows sometimes in the more emotional scenes and allows herself the time to develop equally convincing portraits of all the characters, their lives and their evolving relationships. But just as the listener is lulled by a specific storyline, a new contest challenge is announced, Drew’s rapid pace returns, and a scarier situation ensues. The interplay of the high-action scenes and the more revealing scenes creates tension that escalates right to the end. S.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

12/16/2013
Heather and Dodge live in Carp, N.Y., a down-on-its-heels town where graduating seniors can participate in a secret annual game called Panic. Everyone contributes to the pot, with winner take all when the game begins. Players have died in the past, and Dodge’s older sister was paralyzed two years earlier; this year’s prize is $67,000. This is a purported return to realistic fiction for Oliver following her popular Delirium books, and it’s realistic in the way that Before I Fall was: in her setting and characters, if not the situations they face. The stakes of Panic are extraordinarily high; an early challenge has competitors crossing between two water towers on a narrow plank, and things only escalate. Oliver runs no risk of idealizing small-town life; Carp is stifling and impoverished, and her descriptions can be borderline disdainful (one character’s mother has a “face like a pulpy fruit”; a gas station attendant’s hair is “slicked to one side, like weeds strapped to his forehead”). Oliver brings a high-concept, high-stakes conceit to Main Street USA, and the result is as uncomfortable as it is thrilling. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media. (Mar.)

Oliver makes a white-knuckle return to realism that will have readers up until the wee hours.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Oliver’s novel is a wholly believable and compulsively readable tale of friendship, loyalty, survival, and courage.” — Booklist

Praise for Before I Fall: “Oliver’s debut novel is raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful....readers will love Samantha best as she hurtles toward an end as brave as it is heartbreaking.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for Before I Fall: “Samantha’s attempts to save her life and right the wrongs she has caused are precisely what will draw readers into this complex story and keep them turning pages until Sam succeeds in living her last day the right way.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)

Praise for Before I Fall: “Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel...This is a compelling book with a powerful message and should not be missed.” — ALA Booklist

Praise for Before I Fall: “This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion. You’ll have no choice but to tear through this book!” — Jay Asher, author of the New York Times bestseller Thirteen Reasons Why

Praise for Before I Fall: “Before I Fall is smart, complex, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Lauren Oliver has written an extraordinary debut novel about what it means to live—and die.” — Carolyn Mackler, author of the Printz Honor Book The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things

Praise for Delirium: “In [Oliver’s] dystopian America, love has been outlawed as the life-threatening source of all discord. Lena’s gradual awakening is set against a convincing backdrop of totalitarian horror. The abrupt ending leaves enough unanswered questions to set breathless readers up for volume two of this trilogy.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for Delirium: “Strong characters, a vivid portrait of the lives of teens in a repressive society, and nagging questions that can be applied to our world today make this book especially compelling and discussable.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for Delirium: “In a thick climate of fear, Oliver spins out a suspenseful story of awakening and resistance with true love at its core.” — The Horn Book

Praise for Delirium: “Oliver’s deeply emotional and incredibly well-honed prose commands the readers’ attention and captures their hearts. With a pulse-pounding tempo and unforeseen twists and turns, Lauren Oliver has opened the door on a fantastic new series; the second book can’t come soon enough.” — New York Journal of Books

Praise for PANDEMONIUM: “From the grief-stricken shell of her former self to a nascent refugee and finally to a full-fledged resistance fighter, Lena’s strength and the complexity of her internal struggles will keep readers up at night.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for PANDEMONIUM: “This is a romance in the purest of senses, where just the longing for the faintest taste of love is worth the greatest of risks. Like all successful second volumes, this expands the world and ups the stakes, setting us up for the big finale.” — ALA Booklist

Praise for PANDEMONIUM: “If...you crave the heart-stopping action of the arena from The Hunger Games combined with a destined-to-be-doomed love story then this sequel is perfect for you!” — Seventeen.com

Praise for PANDEMONIUM: “Following directly on the heels of Delirium, Pandemonium is equally riveting. The underlying theme that love will win out regardless of prohibition is a powerful idea that will speak to teens.” — School Library Journal

Praise for Requiem: “Before starting, readers should turn off their cellphones and wipe their schedules clean, because once they open the book, they won’t be able to stop. A dystopian tour de force.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for Requiem: “Is there a theme more perfect for YA readers than choosing what you want from life rather than being told?” — ALA Booklist

Praise for Before I Fall: “Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel...This is a compelling book with a powerful message and should not be missed.

Praise for Before I Fall: “Samantha’s attempts to save her life and right the wrongs she has caused are precisely what will draw readers into this complex story and keep them turning pages until Sam succeeds in living her last day the right way.

Praise for Before I Fall: “Before I Fall is smart, complex, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Lauren Oliver has written an extraordinary debut novel about what it means to live—and die.

Praise for Before I Fall: “This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion. You’ll have no choice but to tear through this book!

Oliver’s novel is a wholly believable and compulsively readable tale of friendship, loyalty, survival, and courage.

Praise for Delirium: “In a thick climate of fear, Oliver spins out a suspenseful story of awakening and resistance with true love at its core.

Praise for Delirium: “Oliver’s deeply emotional and incredibly well-honed prose commands the readers’ attention and captures their hearts. With a pulse-pounding tempo and unforeseen twists and turns, Lauren Oliver has opened the door on a fantastic new series; the second book can’t come soon enough.

Praise for PANDEMONIUM: “If...you crave the heart-stopping action of the arena from The Hunger Games combined with a destined-to-be-doomed love story then this sequel is perfect for you!

Oliver’s novel is a wholly believable and compulsively readable tale of friendship, loyalty, survival, and courage.

Sarah Drew’s brisk narration immediately sets the tone for this fast-moving story of teens immersed in a series of potentially deadly contests in which they compete for a $67,000 prize. The plot focuses primarily on four teens, with their stories told in alternating chapters. Drew’s pacing slows sometimes in the more emotional scenes and allows herself the time to develop equally convincing portraits of all the characters, their lives and their evolving relationships. But just as the listener is lulled by a specific storyline, a new contest challenge is announced, Drew’s rapid pace returns, and a scarier situation ensues. The interplay of the high-action scenes and the more revealing scenes creates tension that escalates right to the end. S.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

★ 2014-01-04
Oliver makes a white-knuckle return to realism that will have readers up until the wee hours. They'll be desperate to learn who will win—and even more importantly, who will survive—Panic, a secret game that pits player against player in mental and physical challenges designed to push them to the breaking point. Heather Nill never planned to play, but with a broken heart and nothing to lose, once she's in, nothing is going to keep her from walking away with the $67,000 prize. Desperate to get out of Carp, N.Y., and determined to protect her sister Lily, Heather puts her life on the line time and again for a shot at a brighter future. Dodge Mason is playing for revenge, and he knows exactly how he is going to get it. After years of planning, nothing, not even the promise of new love, is going to stand in his way. Dodge is going to use the game to right an unforgiveable wrong, even if it kills him. Set in a town so run-down the grit is practically palpable, the book makes suspension of disbelief easy. Readers will understand how the deliberately built characters would and could do just about anything for a shot at getting out. The only thing more terrifying than the game itself is not getting the chance to play it. (Thriller. 14 & up)