From Booklist
Gr. 8-10. Taylor, a 14-year-old living on the island of Borneo with her scientist parents, was "a special sort of test-tube baby." Special, indeed. She's one of the first successful human clones, a fact that fills her with resentment. Her angst quickly recedes into the background, though, when rebels attack her family's compound, and she must flee through the jungle with her wounded younger brother and a partly tame orangutan. Her battle for survival is gripping, but as in Halam's
Dr. Franklin's Island (2002), the ordeal is just part of the story. Once rescued, Taylor faces a welter of new challenges: numbing grief, an awkward relationship with her guardian (her genetic "mother"), and uncertainty about the fate of her faithful ape companion. The teen-as-biotech-experiment premise will remind many readers of Peter Dickinson's
Eva (1988)
, although this novel isn't as cohesive. Though the harrowing losses Taylor suffers may prove too much for some readers, the taut suspense and Taylor's gritty intensity will compel many YAs, especially those who gravitate to dense, philosophically minded sf.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Taylor Five is an extremely moving and engrossing read that throws up some powerful issues. Definitely recommended." Armadillo, Christmas 02
