Bestselling YA author Melinda Salisbury exposes the dark underbelly of new technologies and online friendships in this gripping thriller. Ruby Brookes and her best friend Deva have won free places at the Ash Tree Foundation Performing Arts Camp over the summer, but only if their school grades seriously improve. So when Deva suddenly starts getting high marks in all their subjects, leaving Ruby behind, she is confused and jealous.Until she finds out Deva's success is down to EchoStar, a new app that's helping her get ahead.Ruby is desperate to start using it too, but there is much more to EchoStar than she has imagined. Because EchoStar is always watching and listening … Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 8. The dystopian setting of ECHOSTAR serves as a backdrop for a thrilling exploration of the effects of technology on education and social dynamics among young adults. The story is a gripping portrayal of the psychological pressure that comes with the desire to succeed.For fans of C.N. Crawford (Court of Night), Scarlett St. Clair (A Touch of Chaos), Allison Saft (Down Comes the Night), K. M. Moronova (Your Knife, My Heart), and Darcy Coates (Dead of Winter).HarperCollins 2024
