The 100 by Kass Morgan

by:   Kass Morgan
published by:  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
publish date:  September 3, 2013

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.  Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth.

It's been 300 years since anyone has been to Earth.  Humans have been living in spaceships, but the time has come to risk the trip back down to the planet.  The government decides to use a group of 100 juvenile prisoners as guinea pigs.  The 100 face threats they could never have imagined.   Not from the planet that turns out to be beautiful, but from within.

I really liked the story, however, I didn't like they way it was told.  The 100 was told in a non-linear format.  The chronology was all over the place.  It was hard to keep track of the story at times.  I also didn't care for the fact that these kids were like 17 years old and were acting far beyond their years.  However, who's to say how 17 year olds 300 years in the future are going to act right?  I did like the idea of repopulating the Earth.  I liked the idea that the Earth was a beautiful place and not the toxic waste filled dump that they all thought it was for hundreds of years.  

This book will appeal to the sci-fi, dystopian, post apocalyptic readers.  It's got a little bit of everything in there.   It's a good beach read for those of us that like our reading a little on the dark side.