The future of us

 The future of us

by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

IL: Grades 7and up

RL: 5+

**This book is scheduled to be released November, 2011** ARC provided by the publisher for review with no compensation.**

It's 1996 and Emma's dad has just sent her a computer. Her next door neighbor Josh- who was also her best friend until a recent awkward moment-visits Emma for the first time in a while to deliver an AOL CD-ROM on his mom's behalf so that she can load it to her computer and go online at home for the first time. When she loads the disc, rather than being greeted by the standard AOL homepage, Emma finds herself on Facebook. Unsure of what she's stumbled upon, she shows Josh the website and the two quickly realize that what they are seeing is their respective lives in 15 years. Both are married in this future- Josh to the hottest girl at school and Emma unhappily to someone unknown. When Emma makes a small change to her present life and sees that her Facebook page has changed, she and Josh realize that what they do now will affect their future lives. Emma becomes obsessed with doing things to make her future self happy. Unfortunately these changes also affect Josh's future self a development that makes him very unhappy.

This story addresses the very basic concept of how one's actions today affect their future life but adds the interesting platform of Facebook, which is almost universally known, making it more relevant to the young reader. Asher and Mackler did a fantastic job of alternating chapters and while there are no big surprises, it is an engaging read that will hold most readers' interest.

Asher, J. & Mackler, C. (2011). The future of us.  New York, NY: Razorbill.