Escape from Memory    by Margaret Peterson Haddix Order:  USA  Can Pulse, 2005 (2003) Hardcover, Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Lyn Seippel Fifteen-year-old Kira Landon allows a friend to hypnotize her during a sleepover. They get more than they expected when Kira remembers being carried through the streets of a strange city at twilight as guns sound in the distance. This memory - if that is what it was - triggers questions for Kira that she never thought of before. Why is the only relative she has ever known her mother? Did she at one time speak another language? Was she kidnapped or saved from a war-torn country? Her mother refuses to answer any of her questions, but doesn't deny that the memory is real. Kira sets out to find answers without her mother's help. Before she gets any farther than a bank safety deposit box that she can't open because it is not in her name, her mother disappears. Soon after, Kira herself is kidnapped. Haddix has written a sci-fi mystery that asks interesting questions about memory. Why do we remember some things and forget others? How does our mind decide which memory is important and which is not? Can we really access hidden memories? The story is fast moving, full of plot twists, and features a brave protagonist who must decide whether it is better to remember or leave her memories buried. Will her memories help save her and her mother, or will they make them more vulnerable? Though the plot is somewhat unconvincing in places, overall Escape from Memory offers a creative approach to a future where memories can be catalogued and used by all, or captured and used just by the elite. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews