Body Parts by Jessica Kapp
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Publisher: Diversion Publishing
People would kill for her body.
Raised in an elite foster center off the California coast,
sixteen-year-old Tabitha’s been sculpted into a world-class athlete. Her
trainers have told her she’ll need to be in top physical condition to be
matched with a loving family, even though personal health has taken a backseat
outside the training facility. While Tabitha swims laps and shaves seconds off
her mile time, hoping to find a permanent home, the rest of the community takes
pills produced by pharmaceutical giant PharmPerfect to erase their wrinkles,
grow hair, and develop superhuman strength.
When Tabitha’s finally paired, instead of being taken to
meet her new parents, she wakes up immobile on a hospital bed. Moments before
she’s sliced open, a group of renegade teenagers rescues her, and she learns
the real reason for her perfect health: PharmPerfect is using her foster
program as a replacement factory for their pill-addicted clients’ failing
organs. And her friends from the center, the only family she’s ever known, are
next in line to be harvested.
Determined to save them, Tabitha joins forces with her
rescuers, led by moody and mysterious Gavin Stiles. As they race to infiltrate
the hospital and uncover the rest of PharmPerfect’s secrets, though, Tabitha
finds herself with more questions than answers. Will trusting the enigmatic
group of rebels lead her back to the slaughterhouse?
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Excerpt:
The exit door buzzes. My breath catches when I
notice it’s not a trainer—it’s Ms. Preen. And, she’s holding a red file, which
can only mean one thing.
One of us is getting out.
Her heels make quick, light clicks as she crosses
the floor past the weight equipment and yoga mats. She crinkles her nose as she
moves through the thick cloud of sweat. By the time she reaches us, Meghan’s
out of the pool. We stand, two-dozen bodies huddled together, anxious to hear
the news. I scan my friends’ faces, wondering whose turn it is to go. Parker
wraps his free arm around me. I imagine this is how a gymnast feels after a
routine, waiting for her scores. Did I perform well enough? Could I have done
more?
Will I win the ultimate prize: a family?
Ms. Preen presses through to the pool area, but
stands far from our group, as if she thinks we’ll throw her in.
It’s crossed our minds before.
The light shines off her blonde bob, and her face
is flawless. Freeze-dried, we like to say.
“Where is she?” Ms. Preen looks at our group as if
she can’t tell us apart, which is probably true. Even though she pops in at
least once a month to check on our vitals, she isn’t interested in getting to
know us. She’s the one in charge of pairing us with families, but all she knows
is what we’re good at. Meghan is the fast one; Paige climbs like she’s part
monkey; Parker’s built like a brick house; and me, I have the lungs.
“The redhead, where is she?”
All eyes turn to me.
“We have names, you know,” Paige says, her voice
curt. “Hers is Tabitha. T-A-B…”
Ms. Preen pulls a piece of paper out of the file,
holding it up toward the row of skylights to read it. “Yes. She’s the one.”
Parker tightens his hold on me and I clasp my
hands together to stop them from shaking. Ms. Preen doesn’t need to know I’m
nervous. I’m supposed to be elated, ready to go. Maybe I’ve been fooling
myself.
I wiggle out of Parker’s grip to step forward.
“That’s me.”
Ms. Preen shoves the paper back into the file.
“Get dressed. I’m taking you for your final screening. If you pass, you’ll be
out tomorrow.” Her voice is hard and she turns to walk away.
I glance back at the group, at the faces I’ve
known since childhood. They’re excited for me, but I can see the disappointment
in their eyes. I know the look, because up until today I’ve watched friends
leave, waiting for my turn.
Now that it is, I can’t move.
Fans of Neil Schusterman's Unwind series will love this book about donors and the secret workings behind the scenes in so called adoption agencies. Fraught with tension, this is a page turner that grabbed me from the first.
4/5 Stars
AUTHOR INFO:
Jessica Kapp enjoys writing Young Adult Contemporary and
Speculative Fiction. Story ideas often strike at inopportune times, and she’s
been known to text herself reminders from under the covers.
She lives on a small farm in Washington with far too many
goats and an occasional cow.
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