Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton

I’m sure we’ll have plenty of new things. But maybe some wear is worth keeping. It shows our journey. Everything we experienced to this very moment. And it’s worth remembering, even the parts that were hard.

~Please Return to the Lands of Luxury

All Jane has ever known is trash. She grew up on Yarborough Ridge, an island full of garbage, the people who live in it, and the robots who keep them contained there. Memories are all she has left of her parents, and those are fading so fast that she fears she’ll lose them too. She’s already forgotten what her father looked like.

One day, Jane finds a beautiful doll in the trash. The doll’s tag says: “Please return to Gloria Thatcher, 1 Spring Blossom Way.” She determines to do just that. A doll this wonderful doesn’t belong in the trash. The only problem? 1 Spring Blossom Way is in the Lands of Luxury, and nobody leaves Yarborough Ridge.

Nobody.

But Jane insists on returning the doll to Gloria, even though her friends Timothy and Rodney try to stop her, and robots armed with laser eyes will never let her leave. Even though leaving home might make her forget where she came from entirely.

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury is a middle-grade sci-fi adventure that makes classic tropes approachable for young readers. It’s full of heart, a story that explores the importance of family–both those we’re born with and those we make. In particular, Jane’s growth and the bravery of Marc and Chloe against the shadowy super corp World Legan are beautifully portrayed. 

Perfect for fans of the dystopian world of The Giver and the emotional core of “belonging” found in The Wild Robot.

Overall rating: ★★★★☆
Worth reading?: Absolutely, especially if dystopia is your jam
Best parts:
– Awesome, organic world-building
– The exploration of how Jane’s fear of forgetting keeps her trapped from moving on
– Marc and Chloe–power couple extraordinaire
Content concerns: None.