Ages 12+
Pages: 320
Scholastic Press, 2016
Ever since the Titans first appeared in her Detroit neighborhood, Astrid Sullivan’s world has revolved around the mechanical horses. She and her best friend have spent countless hours watching them and their jockeys practice on the track. It’s not just the thrill of the race. It’s the engineering of the horses and the way they’re programmed to seem so lifelike. The Titans are everything that fascinates Astrid, and nothing she’ll ever touch.
She hates them a little, too. Her dad lost everything betting on the Titans. And the races are a reminder of the gap between the rich jockeys who can afford the expensive machines to ride, and the working class friends and neighbors of Astrid’s who wager on them.
But when Astrid’s offered a chance to enter an early model Titan in this year’s derby, well, she decides to risk it all. Because for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, it’s more than a chance at fame or money. Betting on herself is the only way to hang on to everyone in the world she cares about.
✩ “Right from the start, Scott commands attention with the simple yet compelling premise, which tackles topics of privilege and class as it entertains.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
✩ “…the end result is a solid, exciting story about a determined girl faced with difficult circumstances.”
– Bulletin, starred review
