We've read a bunch of MM Vaughan's books, Friendroid and the Ability duology, and this one was intriguing.
It involves one-way particle reconstruction as a way of traveling instantaneously through space, and the question: If you could go to a new world, a veritable paradise, purported to have everything you'd ever need and that wouldn't repeat the mistakes Earth made, but the trip was only one-way, would you still want to go, sight-unseen? Would you take that chance, knowing that if you EVER wanted to come back, you'd be scrambled and might lose a body part, or your face might get re-arranged?
It's an interesting conundrum, but in the end, for Parker Banks, it's a no-brainer. But for none of the reasons you'd think.
Parker has a terrible time adjusting to life in the US, when his father moved to New York to take a new job that consumes all his time and attention. Parker's bullied for his accent, and even though he makes a friend, they decide to ditch school instead.
He, his younger sister, and his mom and dad share a mind-reading device, implanted under the skin of their wrists. They can only communicate with each other, but their mom's link has been broken ever since she disappeared.
Then one day, when Parker's not at school, his dad's light goes out. He can't reach him, and strange men seize his sister at her swim meet. With help from his new friend's chauffeur and body guard, they spring her free, but quickly learn -- their dad's taken a one-way trip. What lengths will they go to be reunited with him -- and their mom?
This is a great, if a bit older, sci-fi read for that voracious reader in your family! We loved this one.
