Rash by Pete Hautman--Reviewed by Ellie W.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the future, or what it would look like? I know I have. But if you read this book, your thoughts will change greatly about what you think it will be like. In this book, it is late into the twenty-first century, and everyone is living in the USSA, also know as the United Safer States of America. The main character is Bo Marten, just a regular boy. About everything we enjoy in life today is banned in the USSA, like pizza, french fries and sports. Well you can play sports, but will layers and layers of pads on.

The USSA's rules are kind of like baseball. Three strikes and your out. Out to the wilderness, that is. One thing you should know about Bo's family is that they are known for their hot tempers. His father and brother are already out, working for the country. So when Bo gets a third strike because his anger went out of control, he knows he's in for something bad. And he's right. He is sent to a factory way up North to help package food. When he gets there, he is soon greeted by the reality that he was in a whole different world. A world where you could push and poke people without getting arrested. At first he is not very happy, but soon he is recruited to play on their football team.

Being on the football team was a new experience for him, but he learned to love the game. Later on in the book, he is forced to make one of the biggest decisions of his life. Should he leave, or should he stay? You will have to read the book to find out.

I though this book was excellent. I liked how it put the future in a different perspective than we would have usually thought. I don't know about you, but I look at the future with robots and flying cars, but this book has so much more. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy realistic and science fiction. Overall, I would give this book five out of five stars! :)