Fame

It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of American Idol. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for.

Read an excerpt

Extras are all the people in Aya's city who aren't famous. They're stuck in the background, with no one watching.

Eyescreens are devices put into people's eyes,
so that they can watch the feeds and get info
from the city interface at all times. Feeds and
fame are so important in Aya's city that people
never want to stop watching.

Face rank is what people in Aya's city call fame. Every time someone talks about you, watches you on TV, checks out your website, or even hums a tune you wrote, your face rank gets bumped. It's the ultimate maker of status and wealth.

Kickers are like bloggers or journalists today;
they "kick" stories about cool and interesting
stuff. Basically, kickers become famous by
gathering all the amazing news happening
during the mind rain.