Amity Middle School Orange Book Blog

Read reviews by an avid young adult book enthusiast.

Monday, September 15, 2014

The Archived by Victoria Schwab



Mackenzie Bishop at age 16 has a lot to contend with in her life.  Her younger brother Ben was killed crossing the street by a hit and run driver.  Her mom’s way of dealing with 10-year-old Ben’s death is to be constantly in a whirlwind of doing things--moving the family to a rundown former hotel called The Coronado to open up a coffee shop, painting, cleaning, ordering, etc. –anything to keep the pain of losing Ben at such a young age at bay. Mackenzie’s dad avoids his grief by downing coffee after coffee and losing himself in reading.
Imagine dealing with all this plus being one of the youngest keepers ever.  Mackenzie’s maternal grandfather, affectionately named Da, realizes Mackenzie’s high potential for becoming a Keeper in their society. This highly secretive position is quite dangerous.  It involves keeping Histories-- people’s spirits who have passed--in check.  When a History escapes into the Narrows, the Archive sends Mackenzie a message with the person’s name and age.  It is her job to find an entry into the Narrows using the Keeper Key that Da gave her before he died.
Once in the Narrows, Mackenzie must find the wandering person and get them through a door for Returns.  The fights that ensue when some don’t know where they are or are filled with rage lead to many bruises and scars which are hard to explain to her parents.
When Mackenzie meets Wes Ayers, another Keeper, she finally has some help in dealing with the out of control Narrows below the Coronada.
This is a fast paced, well written, part mystery and part dystopian novel.  Mature readers will love it!
 
Book #2, Unbound has already been released!

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