Under Pressure by Cory McCarthy
Published by HarperCollins US on February 1, 2023
ISBN: 0358362148
Pages: 208
Goodreads

Under Pressure is the second book in the near-future Sci-Fi trilogy about a group of friends from their school at the Tower of Power (ToP), who are trying to rescue their friend Grayson, who has gone missing. Grayson is the son of the creator of the largest tech company in the world, Bixonics, which fits people with their bionic enhancements. In their quest to find Grayson, the friends are rescued at sea and taken to New Atlantis, a world under the sea that is home to the Resistance who are secretly trying to take Bixonics down. This fast-paced novel is told from two perspectives: Jayla (she/her), a black tech expert who stays at New Atlantis and Leo (they/them) a white wheelchair athlete who has two moms and returns to ToP to hopefully be fitted for a rare aug. As they overcome several obstacles in their search for Gray, including new information about Gray’s parents and Bixonics, they learn to rely on themselves and each other. This book is appropriate for middle grade readers, especially those who enjoyed the first book in the series, Ace Takes Flight. This novel ends in a cliffhanger, which will no doubt entice readers to pick up the yet to be released third book in the trilogy.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library