Spliced: 1 - Softcover

"a very believable future seen through the eyes of a believable white teen for whom discrimination on the basis of visual difference has suddenly become real. This nightmare study in manufactured prejudice will resonate with many teens . . . Timely, thrilling, and more than a little scary."--Kirkus Reviews

"McGoran extrapolates a believable, all-too-relevant future, but he wisely focuses on Jimi's transformation from someone aware of but untouched by discrimination into a willing activist with an emotional connection. McGoran doesn't skimp on the action, either, which is suspenseful and scary . . . This is a timely, thought-provoking start to a probable series."--Booklist

"Genetically modified teens forced to make life-and-death decisions in a modified world as a hideous new form of hatred poisons society. Spliced grabs you by the throat and won't let go."--Laurie Halse Anderson, internationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author

"A mind-bending science fiction adventure into a disturbingly familiar, near future world. Characters you care about and a plot that will send chills up your spine, Spliced has it all!"--Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Mars One

"Intense and provocative, Spliced questions whether humanity is defined by our genetic make-up or our compassion. The haunting themes McGoran has created will resonate long after the final page is turned."--Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times bestselling author of The Testing and Dividing Eden

Sixteen-year-old Jimi knows people change, but nothing could prepare her for what’s about to happen to her best friend, Del.

Over the years, their friendship has been evolving—and Jimi is starting to wonder if they could become more than friends. But Del is obsessed with becoming a chimera: a person with animal features, achieved by splicing animal genes into their own DNA. It's a dangerous and controversial process, provided illegally by back-alley doctors called genies.

The dramatic physical changes chimeras go through have scared lawmakers into drafting legislation to declare chimeras officially non-human— taking away all protections under the law. When Del goes missing, Jimi is desperate to find him before he alters himself forever.

To save him, Jimi must risk her life—all while knowing that if getting spliced is the choice Del has made, it means he’s leaving her behind forever.  Unlikely allies and powerful enemies clash as Jimi questions her beliefs and uncovers closely-guarded secrets about her own past.

Set in a near-future society where technology is redefining what it means to be human, Spliced is part science fiction, part political thriller, raising questions about genetic modification and how we treat each other that will stay with you long after the final page.

A Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Book 2018