Metaltown

Description

Best friends Colin and Ty live one day at a time-the only way it's possible to survive in Metaltown, where money is in short supply, illness runs rampant, and street rules are the highest law. With the other near-starving teenagers of Metaltown, they work long, grueling hours for pennies at the Small Parts factory, attaching fuses to bombs and manufacturing weapons. After they've been worked to the bone, they seek shelter where they can find it, and then do it all again the next day. In the wealthy River District across town, Lena Hampton spends her days learning useless, ancient languages and the art of being a lady.while secretly studying the ins and outs of Hampton Industries, dreaming that one day her father will take her seriously and she'll become the first woman to run the family's expansive network of factories and businesses. Colin's, Ty's, and Lena's paths intersect when Ty is injured on the job and Lena, desperate to prove herself, fires her. In one morning, Colin and Ty's dreams of a better future disappear, and they must find a way to transform their own lives-as well as Lena's-into ones that matter.

Kristen Simmons has a master's degree in social work and is an advocate for mental health. She lives with her husband, Jason, and their precious greyhound, Rudy, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"I'm clutching my mangled heart and smiling madly. It's that kind of book. Such gorgeous heartbreak! Ty, Colin, and Lena owned me for 372 pages, and long after I finished reading. Smart, absorbing, and deeply human."--Laini Taylor, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke & Bone "Metaltown is a raw, heart-racing tale of kids trying to survive in a society with nothing to lose. The most intense aspect is not its grittiness, but its familiarity: Simmons has created a story that is equal parts distant, war-torn fantasy and close-to-home, classist reality. Prepare to be destroyed."--Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of Snow Like Ashes "Kristen Simmons' Metaltown is a compelling, inspiring read. The industrial setting is reminiscent of turn of the century works like The Jungle, and the characters had me rooting for rebels, fights worth fighting, and girls with gumption. By the time it was over, I had my fist in the air."--Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood "A page turner. The characters absolutely stole my heart."--Katie McGarry, author of Nowhere But Here "In her latest, Simmons paints a bleak picture of the future. [Simmons] creates multifaceted characters that are hard to dismiss. It is an unrelentingly grim place, such details as the rat meat Ty and Colin are too poor to buy bringing it to life. In this gritty tale of intrigue, corruption, greed, and human rights, Simmons offers readers a savvy take on a post-apocalyptic society."--Kirkus Reviews "The horrors each character faces--abuse, hunger, violence, a work accident with detrimental effects--are written about in a raw and realistic way. Rife with social commentary, this gritty, stand-alone dystopian novel will keep readers engaged."--School Library Journal