Streams of Babel (2008)

Don't drink the water. A statement that makes you wonder doesn't it? Well in Carol Plum-Ucci's novel, Streams Of Babel, you'd be wise to follow that statement in this book. After reading this, it will be somewhat scary to drink from your tap water again.

I would say the best audience for this type of book would probably be young adult to adult because it is somewhat graphic and swear words are used on multiple occasions. However, I think that the graphics and swearing would be the only bad thing about this book. The best thing about this book, I believe, is the amazingly creative plot that keeps changing every chapter as new information is formed. I enjoyed that a lot because it kept me guessing for quite some time, whenever I thought I knew the right answer, I usually ended up being wrong due to some unforeseen event.

The plot of this novel is filled with shocking realizations and suspenseful curiosity that keeps the reader's attention until the very last page. Bioterrorists have poisoned the water supply with Red Vinegar in sections of Colony One. The question is, who are these bioterrorists and what are their motives for slowly killing innocent people? And what in God's name is Red Vinegar and where and what is Colony One? I suggest reading this book if you'd like to know. ( )

A truly excellent novel about some teens who get sick via a terrorist attack on their water. It's the story of four teens in a small suburb and two computer nerds, one from Pakistan, who do everything they can to save those four other teens. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. ( )

Realistic, engaging, characters are full of win. Bioterrorists- a very unexplored plot. Tyler ahd Shahzad are meant for each other. One of the best books I've read this year! AHS/JD

As an adult reading this teen fiction/mystery I began to wonder how teenagers think of the world they are living in. This book is set a few months after the 9/11 attacks and now it is nearly a decade since the attacks. How do the teenagers today feel about what happened when they were in early elementary school - if they were not even younger than that. For me, the book follows the thought processes of young people very well. Teenagers from different backgrounds and parts of the world are shown looking at the terrorist situation differently. "Sheltered" American teens who have no clue to the possible extents of (bio)terrorism; medically educated youth who understand but helpless in the face of the possibilities; teens who are very aware - but from behind a computer screen - "see" what is happening through a monitor but never had to face the terror in reality.
This book explores a bio-terror attack in the United States. Of course it is in an idyllic town filled with nice people, and it is a group of teenagers who are most effected. Two teens, one Pakistani and another with a mother who is a spy for North Korea, are brilliant hackers who find out the details of who is behind everything; and they track the bad guys down. Throughout, the adults, either relatives or international operatives with relationships to the teens, are "caretakers" who do not fully understand the depths of emotions the teens have as they live through the terror.
The premise is very realistic and possible. The characters are well written and as a high-school teacher I can say I "know" each of them, even the two non-native-American teens - the hacker geeks. I like this book and highly recommend it to any adult who enjoys teen fiction or to any teen who is looking for a modern mystery to read. ( )

Good book for the most part. Too much about trying to catch the spies and not enough about the characters themselves. Skimmed the parts with all the computer and science stuff and mainly read about the kids. ( )