The Predicteds

July 18, 2011
In a near future when human behavior can be perfectly predicted by computer, Daphne Wright starts her junior year at the high school where the new technology was tested, Quiet High in Quiet, Okla. A school shooter disrupts the quiet and throws Daphne into the arms of Jesse, a cute guy reputed to have stalked his previous girlfriend. Nevertheless, Daphne lets herself become enchanted with Jesseâuntil the latest test results are published, and his name appears on the list of "predicteds," students singled out by the computer as "criminal" or "antisocial." Despite the apparent emphasis on questions of free will, nature versus nurture, and flawed social institutions, this is not a dystopian novel. First-time author Seifert does not seem to be interested in the wider-world consequences of her premise. The only impact of this revolutionary and deeply troubling technology is individual, and the pushback against it surprisingly minimal. Her conceit is too big and too thinly conceived for what otherwise would be an enjoyable teenage love story between two quirky but believable outsiders. Ages 13âup.

August 15, 2011

An experimental computer program's predictions on students' future behaviors interfere with one teen's quest to date her crush. 

New girl in town Daphne Wright has the bad luck to start her first day at new school Quiet High by vomiting before witnessing a school shooting. Instantly accepted by the popular girls despite her lack of interest in them, she fits easily into the Bella Swan mold by falling for the mysterious, handsome misfit Jesse. And she falls for him literally—her coordination has an inverse relationship to proximity with him, giving him endless opportunities to play hero. But aside from a convoluted social scene populated by too many nearly identical background characters, the biggest obstacle to their young love is PROFILE, a software application designed to predict future antisocial behavior. Quiet High, the test location, decides to release the list of Predicteds—teenagers technologically designated for a life of crime and violence—to the general public to prevent more incidents like the school shooting. When the mixed messages Jesse gives off are combined with his results, Daphne is torn as to whether to trust the computer or her heart. Although weakened considerably by dated pop-culture references, the narrative is at times witty. 

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Seifert takes the concept of futuristic profiling to a whole new level in this page-turner. PROFILE, an experimental program, can determine people's future behaviors before they happen. After a school shooting, 16-year-old Daphne learns that the students at Quiet High are taking part in PROFILE. They learn who they're going to be and are told to accept what is predicted-even when the outcomes are horrible. The author brings the reality of teen angst and struggle to life through Daphne and her love interest, Jesse. They are torn between their love for one another and the separate outcomes predicted by PROFILE. This novel demonstrates how people can be convinced that technology is infallible. Readers will become engrossed in the questions the couple must face throughout the novel. Will their love conquer all? Who controls your future? Can destiny be changed? How well does technology know the human spirit? This book will make readers appreciate the world around them.-Katie Hageman, Gar-Field High School, Woodbridge, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 8-11 On Daphne's first day at Quiet High, a student takes her classroom hostage and shoots himself while she cowers in a cabinet, shielded by a boy named Jesse. Daphne's transfer to QH came because her mother was one of the key researchers on a revolutionary profiling exam that predicts, with great accuracy, the violent tendencies of its subjects, and QH is the test case. Daphne starts dating Jesse despite rumors of his dark past; then, after the profile results go public, she finds that Jesse is indeed on the dreaded list. He, along with several other students, are quickly segregated into a locked wing of the school. While there is great potential in the premise, Seifert's characters are unevenly developed and too many issues are presented with little discussion. Meanwhile, a key character's beating raises many questions that are answered in a rushedif suitably dramaticclimax. The concept is nonetheless great fodder for discussion and will provoke thought in fans of books like Cory Doctorow's Little Brother (2008) or Suzanne Weyn's The Barcode Tattoo (2004).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

August 15, 2011

An experimental computer program's predictions on students' future behaviors interfere with one teen's quest to date her crush.

New girl in town Daphne Wright has the bad luck to start her first day at new school Quiet High by vomiting before witnessing a school shooting. Instantly accepted by the popular girls despite her lack of interest in them, she fits easily into the Bella Swan mold by falling for the mysterious, handsome misfit Jesse. And she falls for him literally--her coordination has an inverse relationship to proximity with him, giving him endless opportunities to play hero. But aside from a convoluted social scene populated by too many nearly identical background characters, the biggest obstacle to their young love is PROFILE, a software application designed to predict future antisocial behavior. Quiet High, the test location, decides to release the list of Predicteds--teenagers technologically designated for a life of crime and violence--to the general public to prevent more incidents like the school shooting. When the mixed messages Jesse gives off are combined with his results, Daphne is torn as to whether to trust the computer or her heart. Although weakened considerably by dated pop-culture references, the narrative is at times witty.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)