Goobie, Beth. Flux.

GOOBIE, Beth. Flux. Orca. 258p. c2004. 1-55143-314-1. $16.95. JS

Goobie is a proven writer of provocative YA fiction. This book, which will be followed by a sequel, tells of a complex alternative world in which individuals face terrible restrictions on their freedom. However, Nellie, the 12-year-old heroine, is able to travel through gates to other levels of existence. In her home world, she is alone. Her mother has been taken away and killed by men from the Interior, a draconian state, Sometimes she is visited in her shack by a double of herself, wearing a gold brocade dress; Nellie calls this her remembering dress because through it she is able to remember the love she once knew, when her mother was alive. Otherwise, there is nothing to comfort her. She spends her days hiding, stealing food, keeping away from danger She is filthy and lonely, fierce and miserable. As the book begins, she is chased by some young hoodlums and traumatized. Later. however, one of these young boys becomes a friend. Deller even takes her home to his own mother, who cleans Nellie up and feeds her. But safety is ephemeral, and soon they all are in danger once more.

Nellie promises to help Deller and his mother find Deller's younger brother, a child who has been taken away by the authorities. As Nellie travels through the levels, she sees this boy, Fen, unconscious, hooked up to machines, the object of some ghastly experiments. Nellie knows she too once was hooked up to these machines, and she has scars on her scalp that prove the authorities once opened up her skull. The constant suspenseful chases become a quest for Nellie to find out about herself, and to locate and save Deller's little brother.

This is a harsh story. Nellie is almost a feral creature, and Deller at first seems like a young thug, but both characters reveal more and more of themselves as they continue to struggle for truth, to save Fen, and to avoid being destroyed by the authorities. As the story progresses, we care about them and look forward to the sequel. Claire Rosser, KLIATT