Ages 10+ (a mention of rape, something else that I'm forgetting)

In the future, people in the U.S. (Unified States) live in a passive police state, held "captive" inside the country by a forcefield that was erected generations earlier under the guise of protection. Of course, the country is pretty big (or so it seems). But for teenage Rachel, who lives on an orchid farm known as the Property, the Line is an every day presence in her life. Life is fairly quiet, with only her mother, Ms. Moore (owner of the property) and Jonathan, Ms. Moore's handyman, around. Her mother's homeschooling lessons have taught her to question the government, but Rachel hasn't felt very limited. Then a few events occur that begin to change Rachel's perception: on a trip into town, a person is violently arrested (for treason, presumably). And she finds a recording device with a message from someone who needs help. Someone from beyond the Line.

Slow to start, I felt like this was the first half of what could be a very exciting book. It ends on a cliffhanger right when things were starting to go somewhere. Will appeal to fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix's Among the Hidden series.