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​Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation by Sylvia Liu​

Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Age Range: 9-13

Summary: In a world run by corporations, Hana can't wait to begin Start-Up, a highly selective program for 12-year-olds that allows you to become "meshed": a neural implant that connects you to the interweb at all times. With it, she'll finally be able to keep up with her mom and older sister — and maybe they'll reconnect in a way they haven't said Hana's dad died. But then she gets caught up with a group of rebels, odd events at Start-Up become sinister, and Hana starts to question if being meshed is more valuable for her, or for the corporations.

Teaching with Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

Recommend this book to students who:

• Are fascinated with AI and virtual reality. If they liked Cleo Porter and the Body Electric by Jake Burt or are interested in but not ready for Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, they will love Hana Hsu.
• Have found solace in The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto by Adrianna Cuevas. Both titles showcase characters who have lost a parent.

Read it to unpack these themes:

AI vs. Human Connection: Hana is most interested in becoming "meshed" so that she can reconnect with her mom and sister. But she starts to wonder if less technology, not more, is what is really needed in her family.

Secrets and Deteriorating Trust: Hana wants to completely trust a new friend from Start-Up, but he skirts around the truth. Since there are already suspicious events happening, Hana is wary of trusting him, thereby jeopardizing their friendship.

Corporate Power: If the purpose of a corporation is to earn money, then what conflicts of interest arise when they also have governing power? Hana's world demonstrates the potential dangers when the entities in charge are most interested in the bottom line.

My two cents: Whether you recommend it to your Sci-Fi loving students as an independent reading selection or you offer it as a Dystopian Book Club option, this one absolutely belongs in your classroom library.

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Resource of the Week

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Have a good one and learn everything you can,

Hannah