The Declaration

(really late I know!)
by Gemma Malley 

Science Fiction

320 pages

Pub. Date: 2008

It's the year 2140, and longevity drugs have made the world a wonderful place - for some. Taking longevity means you can live indefinitely, but there's a catch, of course: you must first sign the declaration and, if you opt in, you agree not to have children.
For children born outside the Declaration, the world is a grim place. Surplus Anna is one such teen: a worthless burden who must pay back society for her very existence. Bleak and foreboding Grange Hall, with its severe headmistress, will prepare Anna for her short life of servitude. 
But Anna is different. In the pages of a coveted diary, she secretly pours out her heart, her hopes and her many, many fears - including her mistrust of a new arrival to Grange Hall, a boy named Peter. Peter says that longevity is bad, that nobody should be considered a Surplus... and that Anna's parents love her and have been searching for her. Who is she to trust? The strange boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale? Or the cold, familiar walls of Grange Hall and the headmistress who has controlled her every waking thought?

This story definitely  lived up to its dystopian title. People are living forever and those who choose not to sign the declaration get to have a child. Poor Anna is one. She is such an interesting character. She was brainwashed to hate her parents for having her which in turn makes her think less of herself.  But she can't wait to be the perfect servant. Then comes Peter and her world changes. Of course you can't wait to see if there is a little romance between them or if Peter really know her parents. There are so many different twists in this story that it keeps you reading. I also love how the story switches to other peoples views, people that you want to hear from and want to know what they are thinking. It was a very interesting book and I recommend it!


Sequels: The Resistance (2009) The Returners (2010) The Legacy (2010)